EAT Magazine 17-03 May|June 2013

CELEBRATING THE FOOD & DRINK OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

eat this first then

eat this

Recipes

Hello

Newly Released

I’ve eaten Bill Jones’ food and, let me tell you, this man can cook. But Jones is not only a highly regarded Cowichan Valley chef; he’s also an accomplished mycologist and a tenacious forager. Combine Jones’ three passions—fungi, foraging and cooking—and the result is a densely packed, expertly-written 264 pages of information, lore, tips, and a lifetime’s worth of carefully chosen mushroom recipes. Buy the book, get out into the woods and then head into the kitchen and prepare to feast à la Bill Jones. —Ed.

The Deerholme Mushroom Book

From Foraging to Feast by Bill Jones. Published by Touchwood Editions $29.95 (978-1-77157-003-5)

Cover photography: “Hello Deli”by Michael Tourigny

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EAT is delivered to over 300 pick-up locations in BC including Victoria, Vancouver, Kelowna, The Islands and the Okanagan

Editor in Chief Gary Hynes

Contributing Editor Carolyn Bateman Vancouver Contributing Editor Julie Pegg

DRINK Editor Treve Ring

Senior Wine Writer Larry Arnold Okanagan Contributing Editor Claire Sear

Food Reporters

Tofino | Uclulet: Jen Dart, Vancouver: Anya Levykh, Okanagan: Claire Sear, Victoria: Rebecca Baugniet | Cowichan: Lindsay Muir | Nanaimo: Kirsten Tyler

Web Reporters

Colin Hynes, Van Doren Chan, Elisabeth Nyland

Contributors Larry Arnold, Joseph Blake, Michelle Bouffard, Jennifer Danter, Jen Dart, Pam Durkin, Gillie Easdon, Jeremy Ferguson, Anya Levykh, Ceara Lornie,Elizabeth Smyth Monk, Michaela Morris, Elizabeth Nyland, Julie Pegg, Treve Ring, Claire Sear, Dona Sturmanis, Michael Tourigny, Sylvia Weinstock, Rebecca Wellman.

Publisher Pacific Island Gourmet | EAT ® is a registered trademark.

Advertising: 250.384.9042, editor@eatmagazine.ca

Mailing address: Box 5225, Victoria, BC, V8R 6N4, Tel: 250.384.9042

Email: editor@eatmagazine.ca Website: eatmagazine.ca

Since 1998 | EAT Magazine is published six times each year. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Although every effort is taken to ensure accuracy, Pacific Island Gourmet Publishing cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions that may occur. All opinions expressed in the articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the publisher. Pacific Island Gourmet reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. All rights reserved.

A Community Comes Together

In a world that often seems increasing cold and heartless, it is encouraging to see a community pull together when someone needs help. This was the case when Tim Fukushima, the head brewer at Victoria’s Driftwood Brewing, fell ill and was unable to pay for the intense six to twelve month treatment he needed. Victoria’s beer community—industry people, friends, neighbours, and family— rallied around Tim and organized a fundraiser dinner dubbed “Tugging for Tim” that was held at the Marina Restaurant on the night of March 24. By all accounts, the evening was a success. Through ticket sales, a silent auction, raffle draws, and a donation from the BC Hospitality Foundation, the event raised a total of $22,000. Tim, we wish you a speedy recovery. Go to www.eatmagazine.ca to read more. Go to www.eatmagazine.ca and enter Tugging For Tim into the search box to read more or to make a donation.

As a cook, the start of fresh halibut and live spot prawn seasons and the re-opening of farmers markets are my signal that summer is finally on its way and I couldn’t be happier. It’s time to put all those stews and turnips behind me for another winter; my cooking is fresher and lighter. I look forward to going out into the garden and cutting the first ruby-coloured stalks of rhubarb—I stew them, make pies and crumbles, and churn some into ice cream (well, not by hand). Rhubarb jam is put up for next winter. For a brief blissful time, everything is rhubarb flavoured and the house is saturated with sugary smells, then it’s over and it’s on to local asparagus. I like to roast asparagus in a hot oven or throw them slathered in olive oil and lemon zest on the grill for a smoky treat. A sprinkle of coarse sea salt and all is good. It seems as soon as it starts, asparagus season is over. No worries, on to lazy days on the front porch shelling English peas for risottos and delicious soups...aaahh…we’re into the golden months.

Gary Hynes, Editor

Culinary intelligence for the 2 months ahead the concierge desk by Rebecca Baugniet

For more events visit www.eatmagazine.ca

May

FEAST! (TOFINO-UCLUELET)

A collaboration between the area’s renowned chefs, fishermen and women, accommodation providers, activity providers and tour operators, Feast! TofinoUcluelet celebrates the abundance of local produce, seafood and sustainable " boat to table " practices commonly adopted by the area's restaurants. This year’s festival runs from May 1-31st. (www.feastbc.com)

SPRING OKANAGAN WINE FESTIVAL (OK)

After watching their vines sleep for months, local BC winemakers and vineyards celebrate the arrival of spring and the waking of the vines with a glass – or two –of wine. Spread over the first two weeks of May, the Spring Okanagan Wine Festival busts loose with over 100 events throughout the valley. May 2-12. (www.thewinefestivals.com)

DEERHOLME FARM FORAGES AND DINNERS (DUNCAN)

Spring events at Deerholme Farm include a Wild Food Forage on May 11th and a Morel and Spot Prawn Dinner on May 19. (www.deerholme.com)

SECOND ANNUAL VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL TEQUILA EXPO (VAN)

The Vancouver International Tequila Expo is back, bigger and better for 2013! The event has moved to a new home at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, with triple the floor space, more than double the capacity, and of course, more tequila. May 24. (www.vancouvertequilaexpo.com)

ANNUAL LUND SHELLFISH FESTIVAL (LUND)

The 6th Annual Lund Shellfish Festival will once again be held along the shores Lund Harbour, BC, Canada. Eat fresh-cooked seafood, enjoy local musicians, take a tour, watch free cooking demonstrations, buy some live shellfish, shop at the booths, enter a contest, or sample special menu items at the restaurants - there are activities for everyone! May 24 – 26. (www.lundbc.ca)

1st ANNUAL VICTORIA SPOT PRAWN FESTIVAL (VIC)

On May 25 and 26, Vic West will be the home of the first annual Victoria Spot Prawn Festival, a celebration of seasonal, sustainable and local seafood. Held at the historic Roundhouse at Bayview Place at 253 Esquimalt Road, this free event offers the tastes, sights and sounds of sustainable food and lifestyle choices, with a special emphasis on spot prawns and other sustainable seafood. The Victoria Spot Prawn Festival is presented by the Island Chefs' Collaborative, Cowichan Bay Seafood, Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub, Bayview Properties and many of Victoria's restaurants and seafood suppliers. For more information, visit the ICC’s Facebook page.

June

WINE BLOGGERS CONFERENCE (PENTICTON)

More than 300 wine bloggers, foodies, writers, social media enthusiasts and wine industry professionals will descend upon Penticton for three days to be immersed in BC wine. The Wine Bloggers Conference comes to Canada for the first time, June 6-8, and registration is open. “WBC” features breakout sessions on blogging and social media, as well as sessions meant to educate on wine, and several receptions with local chefs that will tantalize the taste buds. Not a blogger? Here’s your chance to get started, or simply learn more about social media or wine writing. (http://winebloggersconference.org)

TOFINO

FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL (TOFINO)

Now in their 11th year, this festival celebrates the marriage of food and wine, with the main event, Grazing in the Gardens, showcasing local culinary talents and British Columbia wines, in the beautiful Tofino Botanical Gardens. Events of the festival support several non-profit organizations and initiatives, including Tofino Botanical Gardens Foundation, Community Children’s Centre and Tofino’s Community Garden, Lighthouse Trail and Multi Use Path (MUP). June 7-9. (www.tofinofoodandwinefestival.com)

BC SHELLFISH FESTIVAL (COMOX)

For one weekend in June, Vancouver Island hosts the largest shellfish festival on the West Coast. Featuring live-entertainment, cooking demos by some of the industry’s top chefs, sea worthy competitions and lots of locally grown, sustainably harvested shellfish. The event kicks off with a six course Chefs Dinner on Friday, June 14, featuring a great lineup of local chefs, including Jonathan Frazier, Philippe Gagne, Takahashi Ito and more. June 14-15 in Comox. (www.bcshellfishfestival.ca)

BREWERY AND THE BEAST (VANCOUVER)

Brewery & The Beast will take you on a culinary adventure sure to astound your taste buds. Chefs will create dishes using the highest possible quality ingredients for the conscientious consumer. Meats featured will be hormone and antibiotic free, ethically raised, and sourced from farms on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, the Fraser Valley, and select farms in Northern Alberta. Brewery & The Beast offers guests information on local farms and specialty food producers, unique dishes from top Vancouver chefs and restaurants, delicious beverages, and a true celebration of all things meat. June 16 at the Concord Pacific Lot – 88 Pacific Boulevard. Proudly supporting The BC Hospitality Foundation. Brewery & The Beast is a 19+ event – no minors permitted. (http://breweryandthebeast.com)

V.I.C. FEST (VICTORIA)

The third annual V.I.C. Fest (Vancouver Island Cultural Festival) will be held June 21-22 at St. Ann’s Academy in the heart of Downtown Victoria. This two day outdoor festival held at the historic St. Ann’s Academy. A sprawling orchard will host the Island’s best local breweries along with a newly improved and expanded wine garden featuring wineries from around Vancouver Island. V.I.C. Fest will also showcase local food vendors and delicious Island cuisine. (www.vicfest.ca)

FERNWOOD BITES (VICTORIA)

Fernwood’s favourite food and libation tasting event is back for its fourth year! “Local Fare in an Urban Square” is a food and drink tasting event, raising funds for the Fernwood NRG. Featuring local eateries and chefs, beer and wine, live music and a silent auction. June 23, 5.30pm -8pm in Fernwood Square. $50 per person. Due to access to alcohol, this is a 19 years + only event. (www.fernwoodnrg.ca)

Ongoing

DOWNTOWN PUBLIC MARKET SOCIETY’S SUMMER MARKETS (VICTORIA)

The VDPMS’ Summer Markets will be kicking off their weekly Saturday Farmers Market in May at their new location: the back carriage-way of the Hudson, soon to be home to the Victoria Public Market at the Hudson. Stay tuned for details on their Wednesday Farmers Market. Familiar artisan vendors will be there offering the best produce and value added food Vancouver Island has to offer. (www.victoriapublicmarket.com)

SUMMER NIGHT MARKET (RICHMOND)

This Asian-style summer event is back starting May 10, 2013. The only one of its kind in North America, the Summer Night Market is as authentic as the original Night Markets throughout Asia. Barbeque beef skewers, Cantonese dumplings, deepfried cheesecake, Japanese octopus rolls or hurricane potatoes are just some of the foods on offer. (www.summernightmarket.com)

FARMERS AND ARTISANS MARKET (STEVESTON)

Located at the corner of Third Avenue and Moncton Street in Steveston. The 2013 Steveston Farmers and Artisans Summer Market will open Sunday, May 19 and operate bi-weekly until September 29. Market Dates: May 19, June 2, 16; July 7, 21; Aug. 4, 18; Sept. 1, 15, 29. (www.sfam.ca)

JOY ROAD CATERING THURSDAY ALFRESCO VINEYARD DINNERS (PENTICTON)

This summer's Al Fresco Vineyard Dinners will be hosted on the grounds of the God's Mountain Estate B&B just south of Penticton. This unparalleled Okanagan dining experience welcomes local winemakers. The dinners begin June 27th with Joie Farm and run until September. View the website for the complete calendar. (www.joyroadcatering.com)

Coming Up

TASTE VICTORIA (Victoria)

Victoria’s 5th annual festival of food and wine festival will give you a local taste of Vancouver Island and the wine regions of British Columbia. July 25-28. Tickets go sale later in May. www.victoriataste.com

Tofino’s Moveable Feast

People come to Tofino for the beaches, the wildlife, and the overall experience of the rugged west coast, says local chef Cameron Young, but there’s something they discover once they arrive that they might not have expected. “When they get here, they are shocked by the number of great restaurants we have,” he says.

Feast Tofino, a month-long series of culinary events that kicks off May 1, showcases the exceptional food scene in this town of less than 2,000 people at the end of the Pacific Rim Highway. “The dining experiences we have in our small town are amazing,” Young said. “Feast really highlights this. From fine dining, to casual comfort, to sitting on a log in a parking lot eating from a truck, Tofino has it all covered.”

Young knows about Tofino’s culinary diversity firsthand. He’s worked at a few different types of eateries—the luxurious Middle Beach Lodge, for one, as well Tacofino Cantina taco truck and the Spotted Bear Bistro (a small bistro with “upscale comfort food”) where he will be this summer.

These days, more and more customers of all sorts are more conscious of where food comes from, Young says, and this festival is the perfect way to connect chefs, suppliers and the dining public.

“Being able to meet these people and talk to them about [our suppliers] practices makes our guests more conscious of what they’re eating and gives all of us a sense of pride in what we’re producing,” he said.

The wealth of local sustainable seafood and the vibrant culinary scene are the stars of the month-long festival, which runs May 1-31 and is now in its third year.

Boat-to-table cuisine comes alive at Feast, with many seafood-focused events that highlight local crab, salmon, halibut, spot prawns and oysters. On the two-hour Dine Up the Inlet cruise, diners enjoy tapas from a local and visiting chef and listen to the Tofino musical duo Smalltown Empire. At the paella beach party, visiting chef Kunal Ghose of Red Fish Blue Fish in Victoria makes the iconic Spanish dish the main event. And Kahlil Acktar, host of the CBC Radio program The Main Ingredient, will offer an Indian cooking class. As well, Tofino Brewing Company hosts the Beer Feast at Shelter Restaurant,

and the Dirty Moto X Gourmet is a day of backcountry dirt-biking topped off with a wild gourmet barbecue in the forest. There will also be guest chef dinners at local restaurants, a Mother’s Day brunch and more (see www.feastbc.com/events for a complete list). Excursion and adventure tour operators are running many specials, as are accommodation providers from B&Bs to hotels.

Perhaps the cornerstone Feast event is the Saturday Dockside Festival taking place May 25 on Tofino’s inner harbour. Visitors will enjoy fresh seafood samplings from chefs, as well as tours of sustainable seafood processing and preparation demonstrations. Tofino’s all-girl bluegrass band The Poor Pistols will provide the entertainment for the dockside day.

The Tofino-Ucluelet Culinary Guild is a non-profit organization that’s very much involved in Feast. Its main goal is sourcing sustainable and quality ingredients for west coast restaurants. TUCG community food coordinator Bobby Lax says the connections between the foragers, fishers and other producers with local chefs is something worth celebrating. Chefs in larger centres might be reluctant to share a supplier with a competitor, but in Tofino, remoteness makes for greater collaboration.

“We help everyone share great suppliers, and it makes them more viable—to everyone’s benefit,” says Lax. Local chefs have access to the same ingredients, but they use them differently, he says. Just as in certain areas of Europe, Lax sees Tofino becoming known for something like the fish taco or a seafood bouillabaisse.

“Tofino is in the business of hospitality, not because it always makes money,” Lax said, “but because we love showing people where we live, whether it’s a walk in the forest or a great piece of fish on a plate.”

The Feast Tofino website is being updated regularly at www.feastbc.com. The end of the festival roughly coincides with the start of the Tofino Food and Wine Festival, June 7-9. Now in its 11th year, the food and wine festival continues to bring more foodies to the west coast for Grazing in the Gardens and many other events (visit www.tofinofoodandwinefestival.com).

left to right: Chef Tim May preparing a traditional First Nations salmon BBQ - Pacific Sands Beach Resort. Set for a Beach Feast - at Wickaninnish Inn. 2013 Feast Tofino Chefs and Fishermen (photo by Jill Patterson)

From white tablecloths to sitting on a giant log eating from a truck, Feast Tofino, the town’s month-long culinary festival, has it all.

farms, enticing wineries & artisan food producers, do you need another reason to visit?

48 hours on Salt Spring Island local food stories

1

ROCK SALT RESTAURANT & CAFE

Rock Salt Restaurant & Café welcomes you to The Village at Fulford Harbour. Our gorgeous, ocean front dining room is steps away from the Fulford Ferry terminal. We’d love to tempt you with delicious fresh baked goods, organic coffees plus a variety of grab & go deli items from our cafe. Our menu features “global flavour, local comfort”. Try Fresh Fridays with owner/chef Matt Rissling or authentic Mexican dishes on Saturday evenings. Open for breakfast, lunch & dinner.

2921 Fulford Ganges Rd 250-653-4833

www.rocksaltrestaurant.com 8 am - 9 pm every day

MISTAKEN IDENTITY VINEYARDS

When we first conceived our branding, the name related to a sense that our wines would fool you. They are local but had the tastes of regions far beyond. That same Mistaken Identity has manifested itself in our onsite experience. A slice of Tuscany? A vineyard in France perhaps? Maybe this is the Barossa Valley. The feel is also a Mistaken Identity. An experience and feel like you are worlds away. Come and join our journey.

Open daily from Noon to 5:00pm May 17 through September 30

164 Norton Road, 250.538.WINE (9463) www.mistakenidentityvineyards.com (check web site for events)

SALT SPRING ISLAND CHEESE

Come and get some of the flavour of island life in our corner of Paradise. Watch the cheese being made, enjoy free tastings of our goat and sheep cheeses, try our olives and local condiments, or just hang out in our gardens and courtyard, sip a complimentary coffee, play with the dogs or watch the animals playing among themselves. Open every day from 10-5 (11-4 from November to March).

285 Reynolds Road, #26 on the Studio Tour. 250.653.2300 www.saltspringcheese.com

HARBOUR HOUSE HOTEL, RESTAURANT & ORGANIC FARM

Using hand-selected fruits, vegetables and herbs from our sustainable organic farm located just steps from the restaurant, Chef Brooke Winters creatively combines ingredients to produce a feast for the senses. Fresh artisan breads, sauces and dressings will compliment your dining experience. Join us for a meal and take a tour of the farm!

Hotel: 250.537.5571 Restaurant: 250.537.4700 info@saltspringharbourhouse. com www.saltspringharbourhouse.com

121 Upper Ganges Road, Salt Spring Island, BC, V8K 2S2

FERNWOOD ROAD CAFE

Just past St Mary’s Lake, take the right fork and discover the Trincomali Channel and the Fernwood Road Café, where you are guaranteed a water-side table. Meet Jennifer, the owner, who loves her job almost as much as she loves to bake the pastries that fill the cafe menu. Stay in for a coffee or pick up a picnic and visit Wallace Island (kayak or book online). Wheat-free options available.

325 Fernwood Road, 250.931.2233 or 250.530.9320

www.fernwoodcafe.com

Photos by Play in Victoria

HASTINGS HOUSE COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL

Celiac Awareness Month

By Sylvia Weinstock

Celiac disease, an inherited autoimmune disease, is a serious condition affecting thousands of Canadians. It’s triggered by eating foods that contain gluten, a protein composite found in many grains such as wheat, durum wheat, spelt, kamut, barley, rye, triticale and sorghum. When people with this genetic disorder ingest gluten, it inflames and damages the lining of the small intestine and causes reduced absorption of iron, calcium, vitamins A, D, E, K and folic acid. People with celiac disease must completely and permanently avoid gluten-containing grains and prepared foods, even in trace amounts. A gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac disease.

More than 330,000 Canadians are believed to be affected by the disease, according to the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation, and only about 110,000 of those cases are diagnosed. Rates of celiac disease have almost doubled in the past 25 years in western countries. A celiac’s immune system can react adversely with a multitude of severe symptoms. Some celiacs have iron-deficiency anemia without any digestive disruptions, and some are asymptomatic. However, many celiacs can experience gas, nausea, abdominal pain, distension and constipation. They often develop anemia and malnutrition because they have difficulty absorbing nutrients. Mouth ulcers, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, extreme fatigue, weak muscles, joint pain and menstrual irregularities are other common symptoms. Eliminating gluten allows intestinal inflammation to heal and controls most symptoms of the disease.

The first step in diagnosing the disease is a series of blood tests that measures the patient’s response to gluten. For blood tests to be accurate, the patient must have been eating a normal diet containing gluten prior to testing. An initial biopsy of the small

intestine lining and a follow-up biopsy, performed after the patient has strictly adhered to a gluten-free diet for a year or more, are used to confirm the diagnosis.

Celiacs should eat high-protein, high-fibre diets, with a variety of chicken, fish, seafood, meat, eggs, fruits and vegetables. There are a variety of grains that are perfectly safe for celiacs to eat. They can, for example, enjoy millet (cereals and flour), brown rice (farina, flour and pasta), corn (grits, flour, cornmeal and cornstarch), buckwheat (groats [a.k.a. kasha], noodles [a.k.a. soba], cereals and flour), amaranth (seeds, cereals and flour), quinoa (flour and pasta), teff (grain and flour), soy (tofu, beans and flour) and arrowroot powder. Other suitable types of flour include potato, urad dahl, almond and tapioca flour. Oats uncontaminated by gluten are safe for some celiacs. Nuts, or any other foods that haven’t been contaminated during processing by gluten-containing foods, are permitted. Bragg Liquid Aminos is a tasty, gluten-free soy sauce alternative.

Gluten-free products are more widely available and more accurately labelled than ever before. There are also a number of good restaurants and cafés that that cater to a celiac’s palate. By learning as much as possible about the disease and adhering to a diet that includes a wide variety of safe foods, celiacs can maintain and enjoy good health—and good food.

May is Celiac Awareness Month, so let’s drink a toast (with gluten-free beer, of course), to those who cope with this challenging disease.

Jeremy Ferguson

Escargot a Go Go

The French consume 40,000 tonnes of snails a year. What makes the little mollusks so addictive?

CONSIDER THE SEX LIFE of the gastropod mollusk—“zee escargot,” as they say in Paree. The snail’s mating ritual goes on for 12 hours. We observed this once in a Balinese garden. It involved two hermaphrodite land snails—that’s four sexes, two apiece— constituting an orgy in itself.

The foreplay went on for hours, with the wee critters extending tendrils and firing “love darts” at each another, culminating in the two leaving each other pregnant. It was a number worthy of Cirque du Soleil: Gastropod meets gastroporn

Usually, the sexual stamina of our food would qualify it as aphrodisiac. But no, the humble escargot has never entered the erotic pantheon. It has to settle for being the first literally slow food.

Judging from roasted snail shells found in archaeological digs, we’ve dined on escargots since prehistoric times. The ancient Romans cherished the snail and were the first to farm it (heliciculture is the big word). The first-century Roman gourmet Marcus Gavius Apicius liked them fattened on milk and sautéed.

Now they’re mostly associated with the French, who consume 40,000 tonnes of snails a year, usually á la Bourguignnone, rolling around in garlic, butter and parsley. France can’t keep up with the demand, and the mollusks are being imported from such far-away producers as Turkey, Indonesia and, lately, China.

Snail culture thrives in the 21st century. Even health obsessives can’t argue with the mollusk’s abundant calcium, magnesium and vitamin C.

The gastropod has attained an iconic status beyond the plate: Amazon sells not only escargot plates, but escargot-themed posters, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, statues and, for the true devotee, body piercings.

What escargot lover can forget the sublimely nutty 1970 movie Start the Revolution Without Me (with Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland). One of its characters is the Duc

d’Escargot. As the French Revolution begins, we hear the immortal line “Make haste, Escargot!”

And don’t forget the marvellous book of snail art from the great Ronald Searle: In Hello—Where Did All the People Go? God appears as a cosmic escargot.

I love escargots. In the 1970s, I took a train to Montreal to eat at L’Escargot, the longtime restaurant in Place Ville Marie. It offered 10 different preparations of snails, including à l’Abbaye (shallot and cream), Forestiere (stuffed into mushroom caps) and the heady Dijonnaise (beef marrow and truffles). It served almost two million of the mollusks a year for more than a decade.

Some people claim the escargot is only an excuse to eat garlic butter. Worse, the humourist Dave Barry offered deep insult by calling it “a fat, crawling bag of phelgm.” Rubbish. The escargot has its own very appealing earthy, vegetative flavour. My rule-ofthumb is, if you like mushrooms, you’ll probably like escargot.

The only live snail imported to Canada is the Otala or Spanish snail. A friend found some. Correctly, she let them bathe in a pan of tepid water (where they evacuate their shells). But she forgot to put a lid on the pan. Worse, she fell asleep. When she awoke, the escargots had staged a prison break. She found them on the ceiling. And a half dozen were out of their shells and crawling across the TV screen in the nude.

We find our escargots canned, and costing half what they did 30 years ago. Our latest experiment was escargots de Montpelier (cdkitchen.com), the gastropods awash in white wine, parsley, anchovies, lemon peel, pancetta, chopped walnuts and Armagnac, then spooned over garlic croutons. It is a sophisticated and elegant treatment of the mollusk, with the flavours performing solos and harmonizing simultaneously for a grand, sensuous, ensemble effect. Save it for your favourite guests.

Yet I’m happy enough with old hat: garlic, butter and parsley. It brings memory into play as a critical ingredient in flavour: These escargots evoke checkered tablecloths, flickering candlelight and the giddiness of discovering gastronomie in bistros as ancient as I was young.

Give Peas a Chance

Snow, shelling, snap and garden peas—all are equally delicious when you grow them yourself.

SUGAR SNAP PEAS were one of the greatest delights of my vegetable garden last year. The plants, West Coast Seeds’ Sugar Ann variety, were astoundingly prolific. I planted them in March and pinched off a bowlful of crunchy, sweet pods every day from May to September. Many were munched after being tossed in lime pickle and sautéed for a few seconds in olive oil. I also used them in salads, stir-fries and Thai dishes. When some unpicked pods started to bulge slightly, I split them open and ate the tiny sweet peas as a refreshing treat in the midst of my garden labours. In mid-August, I planted West Coast Seeds’ Sugar Daddy, which yielded yummy stringless sugar snap peas through the fall. The tall vines needed to be supported, and since they are too stupid stubborn to wind their tendrils around the stakes, I tied them with strips of old pantyhose.

Sugar snap peas (also known as snap peas and sugar peas) are a cross between English peas (a.k.a. garden peas, green peas and shelling peas) and snow peas (Chinese pea pods). Snow pea pods are thin, flat and crisp, whereas sugar snap pods are plump with nascent peas that add extra oomph to their crunch. Field peas are used to make dried split peas.

Je pense que the French words for foods always sound more enticing than their English names. Par example, entirely edible sugar snap peas and snow peas are called mange-tout (“eat it all”). The French are renowned for über-sweet petits pois (baby green peas), a hybrid developed by Louis XIV’s gardener at Versailles. I love the wellknown quote by Louis’s mistress, Madame de Maintenon, which illustrates the craze for petits pois that swept across Western Europe at the end of the 17th century. She rhapsodized about “the impatience to eat them, the pleasure of having eaten them and the joy of eating them again.” Madame wrote of ladies who, after dining sumptuously with the King, went home and ate bowls of green peas before bed, and explained, “It is both a fashion and a madness.”

If you too have a madness for peas, this is the perfect time to make Petit Pois à La Crème according to this 18th-century French recipe. Cook two pounds of petits pois in a cup of beef broth with two slices of ham (or bacon) and a bouquet garni made by wrapping one clove, four sprigs of parsley and a small chopped onion in cheesecloth. Cook 10 minutes and then remove meat and the bouquet garni. Add salt, pepper and ½ cup heavy cream. Mix a tablespoon of butter with a teaspoon of flour, add to the peas and stir until thickened. Add a pinch of sugar and the juice of half an orange. Voila.

Twirling pasta primavera onto your fork is a wonderful way to celebrate this glorious season (primavera is Italian for “springtime”). Jazz up this classic dish with the tasty trio of baby peas, snow peas and sugar snap peas and other seasonal vegetables.

You will never truly know the piercingly sweet taste of fresh snow peas, garden peas and sugar snap peas until you grow your own. Plant peas from March to the end of May and from July until mid-August. All I am saying is, give peas a chance.

Soba Noodle Salad with Sugar Snap Peas, Green Peas and Snow Peas

This is one of my favourite spring and summer dishes. You can make it as a vegetarian dish, or add spicy prawns or slices of barbecued chicken. I dress the salad with umeboshi plum vinaigrette or ginger vinaigrette. Soba (buckwheat) noodles are gluten-free.

2 or 3 bundles of soba noodles

½ a bunch of cilantro, chopped

2 green onions, sliced lengthwise and cut into small strips

½ English cucumber, julienne

2 carrots, julienne

½ cup baby green peas

10 snow peas, halved

10 sugar snap peas, halved

¼ sheet of nori seaweed, cut into matchsticks

¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

Boil noodles until tender and drain. Add vegetables and sesame seeds. Toss with dressing and top with slivers of seaweed. Serves 2 to 4.

good for you — by Pam Durkin

Great Escapes

Unplug from the cellphone and recharge your own batteries at these three beautiful B.C. properties.

LET’S FACE IT, modern life is stressful. Even here in British Columbia, where nature, abundant recreation and ready access to healthy food keep us healthier than most, British Columbians are increasingly opting for wellness vacations that promise to recharge their batteries and restore their sense of balance in a hectic world. Sanctuary seekers needn’t look far—the province is home to some of the best wellness getaways on the planet. Here are three of my personal favourites, chosen because there is nothing “cookie-cutter” about their approach. They’re super food savvy, offer remarkable spa and fitness options and deliver the kind of personalized service that makes me feel like a truly honoured guest.

Bear Mountain Resort and Spa, Victoria Westin’s Bear Mountain efficiently ticks all the “wellness boxes” in grand style. Firstrate amenities and activities include both women-only and co-ed gyms, energetic classes (spin, aquafit, Zumba, yoga and Pilates) and a specialized CrossFit Studio, where you can get a customized core-strengthening program. For outdoor lovers, 36 holes of Nicklaus-designed golf are out the backdoor, as well as two tennis courts, guided hikes and a heated outdoor pool. Balancing out this roster of fitness pursuits is the resort’s award-winning Sante Spa, where you can indulge in one of their “nature-inspired” treatments designed to soothe body, mind and soul. You can also bask in the warmth of their cedar sauna, soothe aching muscles in the therapeutic mineral pool or get contemplative with a walk through the meditative labyrinth. Foodies will inevitably end up contemplating the nourishing grub that awaits in the resort’s Bella Montagna restaurant. At breakfast, choose from their “superfoods” menu, which includes fruit smoothies and my personal favourite—berry granola muesli with pomegranate essence. Virtuous dinner options such as pan-roasted chicken breast with squash agnolotti and grilled asparagus allow you to fuel an evening hike without worrying about your waistline. With a venue like this in our backyard, who needs Arizona’s vaunted Canyon Ranch?

Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Vancouver

Historic Hotel Georgia delivers—with characteristic charm—all the essentials needed for a restorative break from the rat race without leaving downtown. The newly refurbished hotel now has a 2,000-square-foot fitness area, a boutique spa and a bevy of healthy dining venues. The gym’s modern amenities will please fitness buffs and includes deluxe cardio equipment, free weights, a yoga studio and an Olympic-sized, saltwater pool. Soothe aching muscles at the hotel’s serenity-inducing Sense spa, where treatments are customized to suit the needs of each guest and indigenous organic products are emphasized to create a truly “Vancouver” experience. Another irrefutable delight is Hawksworth’s, the main dining venue. Iconic chef David Hawksworth is an alchemist—he uses the healthiest local ingredients to create inspiring meals so hedonistically delicious one assumes they can’t possibly be healthy. Trust me, they are.

Sparkling Hill Resort, Vernon

Recently named one of 2012’s “top 11 trendsetting hotels in the world” by Fodor’s, Sparkling Hill has been garnering accolades since it first opened its doors in 2010—and for good reason. The luxurious property boasts panoramic views of Lake Okanagan, unique, “crystal-infused” architecture and a 40,000-square-foot spa and wellness area unrivalled in North America. Its European owners have also imbued the resort with an innovative, holistic approach to wellness that is uncommon in Canada. One-of-a-kind amenities in the dazzling KurSpa run the gamut from rose and crystal saunas to a sub-zero Cryotherapy Chamber and Kneipp Water Therapy Room. In addition, naturopathic-directed wellness services range from acupuncture and vitamin injections to supervised weight-loss and cleansing programs. The resort’s gym houses the latest Keiser equipment, Power Plates, a yoga studio and more. The kitchen, which draws its influence from Nouvelle Austrian cuisine, uses only the finest, organic, seasonal offerings from the Okanagan Valley to produce dishes that delight the palate and enhance health. No wonder the international press is gushing!

Bread of Life

There is something both mystical and comforting about the age-old miracle of watching bread dough rise.

TONIO CREANZA IS IN TOWN to promote the lush, rich, spicy olive oil that the Creanza family has been turning out for generations, and to get folks interested in Messors Culinary & Shepherding workshops held each summer in Altamura, Italy. I love spring in Vancouver but I still want to jump on the next plane. This fellow’s passion for the Puglia region’s art and architecture, cheese, charcuterie, pasta and produce is infectious. What really gets me though is his love of Altamura bread, which he calls “pure nourishment.”

The Pugliese bread, reputed to be Italy’s best “peasant” bread, is made from the same durum wheat as the region’s pasta. The clay-oven-baked loaves possess a soft exterior and crunchy crust that stay fresh for several days. The bread needs little more than local burrata cheese napped with fresh basil, fine olive oil, a ripe tomato—and a picnic blanket. It has just been added to the stable of rustic breads that I love to try and emulate in my own oven: Paris’s celebrated Poilane, a whole wheat “boule” that, when slathered with creamy butter and apricot preserves, marvels the palate; UK’s granary bread (made from malted wheat) that demands a wedge of aged farmhouse Cheddar and tangy Branston pickle; and Canada’s own Red Fife bread, perfect for building a sturdy sandwich. Scottish-Canadian farmer David Fife developed the durable grain, part of Slow Food Ark of Taste, near Peterborough, Ontario, in the mid-1800s.

Hard, unbleached wheat flour, measuring by weight rather than volume, a slow rise and piping hot oven are essential to a fine country loaf. The high gluten content of hard wheat gives an elasticity that is vital to good bread dough. Because different flours vary in intensity and moisture, measuring by weight is recommended. A slow rise lends more flavour, and a hot oven gives good crunch to the crust.

My Dad had always made good bread (and wonderful jam). The simple white and brown loaves displayed a good crumb and an agreeable lightness. A few days after he died, I woke up early knowing that a morning spent making bread would be fitting.

The sky was brilliant blue and the air very still. I welcomed the silence. I knew I would find blending the flours, mixing in the liquid, and keeping an eye on the dough comforting. Watching dough rise has always been a bit mysterious and mystical to me. I like to peek under the wrap to see if the dough is behaving as it should.

Canadian chef Michael Smith’s red fife bread recipe is my go-to for making a tasty loaf with not too much effort. His recipe uses a combination of white bread, red fife and mixed grain flours. Smith suggests substituting whole wheat if red fife is unavailable. With the help of an excellent conversion chart (traditionaloven.com), I swap cups for scales.

The dough requires little kneading and a twelve-hour rise in a warm place. I set it to rise on the counter of my parents’ warm and tidy kitchen, and it isn’t long before I’m peeking under one of my mother’s spotless Irish linen tea towels to check on the dough. The first batch is performing most admirably. At the end of rising time, the dough is moist and elastic and has more than doubled in bulk. The resulting loaves rival that of any artisan baker. The crust is firm and crunchy, the crumb hardy, not stodgy, with lovely air pockets. The 12-grain flour adds an extra rustic note.

I substitute whole wheat for red fife to make another loaf—with equal success. Another made with half whole wheat/half red fife possesses a taste and a chewy texture rather like heavy rye. A half-and-half whole/white wheat blend splashed with a good dash of olive oil and kneaded slightly turns out a nice flatbread and a thin pizza crust, perfect for a simple topping of crushed tomatoes and mozzarella. The next morning, Mom hears me buttering a slice of red fife toast. “I always liked to hear your father buttering his toasted day-old bread. The sound was very comforting. It still is.”

One day I’m sure I will taste real Altamura bread in Puglia. But right now I am content to fish out my stash of durum flour and take part in that age-old ritual of baking simple, hearty, country loaves just like my father used to make.

reporter — Victoria

Tartan Touque

The Tartan Toque | 1507 Pandora St. | 778-265-9464 | www.thetartantoque.ca

Six p.m. on a Saturday night and the lineup is out the door. From chefs to couples on date nights, from funky boomers to guys out for a pint, from hipsters to family dinners to elderly couples out for a bite. It is buzzing. The only time I ever see such a diverse crew in Victoria is voting date, New Year’s or Canada Day. And what is bringing us all together? I call this kind of eating glutton chic: pulled pork, fried chicken, poutine and now—wings.

The 2012 Exceptional Eats Awards results predicted that “pickled everything” might be Victoria’s next big thing. What with the ebullient reception the Tartan Toque received from this city in its first month, I’m not so sure.

Barry Thomson (co-owner of Shine Café) and Kara Ferguson (a former Shine Café line cook) launched their chicken wings joint, The Tartan Toque, in February at Stadacona Centre, in a former Old British Fish and Chips location. The faux Tudor decor is welcoming and cozy. Installations from the local Woodpile Collective, a fascinating trio of artists who paint each canvas together, adorn and enrich the space. Barry’s Scottish brogue rings out above the din of the jam-packed eatery and I’m thrown back to pubs in Scotland, where my brother, dad and I supped when I was fifteen.

Wings are the Tartan Toque’s thing. Lots of crispy, moist wings. More than 29 flavours and growing; from Dry Taco to Jerk and Buffalo Blue to Greek. The Jerk is pungent and warm with ginger, thyme, sage, cider vinegar, sugar, clove, fresh hot peppers, garlic and cayenne, and the Greek is crispy and succulent with lemon, garlic, olive oil, oregano and lemon zest and topped with parsley and feta. I look forward to the Moroccan Mint and the Dry Moroccan wings with clove and black pepper, newcomers since my visit. “I should show you my recipe book one day; (it is mostly made of) torn pieces from paper bags," Kara laughs, "But they are all in my head.”

Kara Ferguson has been around food since she was four. Her grandparents owned George’s Spaghetti House, the first live jazz venue in Canada and a Toronto institution. Her culinary history spans catering, Humber College, tree planting camp cooking and Shine. When Barry first emigrated from Scotland, he worked at Barb’s Fish and Chips, where he met his wife/partner Lauren. Barry and Lauren opened the very successful Shine Café together in 2004 and subsequently Shine Café on Blanshard in 2012.

Kara and Barry creatively stretch the definition of a “wing.” You can, for example, opt for boneless wings (read fingers, but way smarter marketing). As a fan of the messy gnaw, the boneless idea isn’t so appealing to me. For many, though, like my friend Brian, spa manager at The Oak Bay Beach Hotel, the boneless Ginger Wasabi and the Maple wings are a big hit. And he prefers a knife and fork. There are also tofu fingers, which are pan-fried to maintain their vegetarian integrity. “GF” appears beside each gluten-free option (and there are many) as Origin Bakery, a popular gluten-free bakery, is right next door. I can’t help but be impressed by the careful thought that went into this casual fare; boneless, gluten-free, vegetarian, fresh salads, all at a jug-of-beer-and-wings joint? The Tartan Toque wants everyone to feel at home and happy with their meal.

The wings are good, juicy, flavourful and fun—really. I have to confess, though, that I also enjoyed the burger a lot, an old style recipe made with fresh garlic, sautéed onions, Worcestershire, spices, oats and eggs. It was homey and reminded me of burgers I made as a kid. The whole vibe of the place is just warm and sincere and about enjoyment, good food and good times.

BY GILLIE EASDON

Hook Fine Foods

I was flipping through one of the big glossies a few months back when I came across a feature on Russ and Daughters, the New York institution that specializes in smoked fish and spreads. I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be great if Victoria had a place like that?” A few weeks later I was reading a novel set in New York, and wouldn’t you know it, one of the main characters is heading to Russ and Daughters with her father to stock up on lox and patés for their weekend brunch. Again, I found myself thinking, “I wish there was someplace like that here.” So, of course, I found it rather serendipitous when I learned in March that a new smoked and cured seafood shop called Hook was opening up on Fort Street.

Perfectly located in the heart of Victoria’s deli and cheese mecca (Chorizo & Co. is right next door, Choux Choux is across the street and Hilary’s is just a block or so up), Hook is poised to fill the gap that has been missing. That’s right. The smoked fish gap. I know you’ve been missing it too. As might be expected, it turns out that Hook’s opening has less to do with serendipity and more to do with a lot of hard work and the realization of a long-standing dream. The owners, Christine and Steve Kerr, began their careers in the fish business more than 20 years ago, working with salmon roe in Nanaimo. They soon wanted to branch out on their own and opened their fish smokehouse, Smokemasters, in Qualicum. Over the years they have increased production, now processing and smoking 1,000 pounds of fish each day. They supply independent grocery stores around Vancouver Island and Whole Foods in Vancouver with their line of lox, salmon jerky, nuggets and “candy,” but Christine has always wanted to open a retail shop in Victoria.

Images from the smokehouse form a central part of the décor in the new shop, giving customers a glimpse of the process behind the products. Christine explains how each item on offer has its own recipe and smoking times. First the salmon must be filleted and then brined –either wet or dry brine, depending on the final product. Salmon is the main focus – mainly sockeye and chinook, though they do also carry some tuna and halibut in season. The lox and jerky undergo a curing stage, or “cold smoke,” while the nuggets require two days in the smoker and the candied salmon has a three- or four-day process. Steve still manages the smokehouse in Qualicum, bringing product down to Victoria once a week, but Christine describes the passion that hides behind his business side, developing recipes for smoked fish pepperoni or perfecting his slicing technique for the salmon jerky when he has time.

Hook has two counters with stools for eating in, but everything is available to go. They sell housemade chowder and sandwiches (using bread and rolls from Bond Bond’s), salmon paté, a variety of jerky, nuggets and candied salmon. Staff members will prepare platters with advance notice, and their product will soon be found in items on Devour’s menu. At the end of our interview, I head over to the counter and stock up on some salmon paté and lox for my weekend brunch spread, thankful that Victoria now has such a place to call its own.

BY REBECCA BAUGNIET

Rebecca Wellman

Hook Fine Foods| 805 Fort St. | 778-265-4770 |

left: Burger, Buffalo wings, Bacon cheese dog, Jerk wings, cornmeal crusted onions, poutine, Greek wings. right: Tartan Touque’s Kara Ferguson and Barry Thomson

Elizabeth Nyland

Hudson’s on First

Hudson’s On First | 163 First Street, Duncan | 250-597-0066 | www.hudsonsonfirst.ca

Chef Daniel Hudson is a busy guy. In November, he and his wife Andrea opened Hudson’s On First on the edge of Duncan’s historic downtown after extensive renovations to the 106year-old heritage home. In February, the couple had their first child, a healthy baby girl named Miley. In March, Daniel began competing in the third season of the Food Network’s Top Chef Canada, a 10-week series hosted by actor Lisa Ray.

“I’m still working 14-hour days,” said Hudson when he joined my wife and me after a sumptuous brunch at his charming restaurant. “We’ve been slammed since we opened, but at least my workday is reduced from the 19hour days I was pulling during the Christmas holidays … especially with the new baby.”

Hudson began his career at Eastwell Manor, a historic manor house in Kent, about an hour southeast of London. There he produced awardwinning food before moving to Canada and followed with stints at DB Bistro Moderne in Vancouver, Amuse Bistro in Shawnigan Lake, and the aging room at Hillary’s Artisan Cheese in the Cowichan Valley.

“My dad always did all the cooking, and I got a lot of inspiration from him. Jamie Oliver had just arrived on the scene in Britain, and he inspired me too. I imagined being a young, well-known chef with a fancy London flat,” Hudson adds with a grin that lights up his boyish face. “My mum gave me a copy of Larousse, and I learned cooking the hard way. My practice crossed some very good chefs, some good places with high standards of food, but I’m basically self-taught.”

Hudson and his crew work in a spacious, modern kitchen at the back of the old Edwardian house. There’s a cozy cocktail lounge with a pressed tin ceiling to the left of the restaurant’s entrance. Light fir floors, stained glass windows and a minimalist design throughout the main floor’s lounge and dining rooms conjure up a refined, quiet space to enjoy fine food. A deck off one room is a delightful spot for seasonal patio dining, and a set of stairs leads to a second floor for dinner meetings and family gatherings.

At brunch, in one of Hudson’s airy dining rooms, we enjoyed the chef’s First Street Crispy Fish Fingers featuring fresh red snapper in flaky panko crust. His dish of fresh, Salt Spring mussels, a seafood specialty that also turns up on the restaurant’s dinner menu, were served in a delicate white wine, coconut and basil broth. The hand-cut chips with both dishes were divine. Soup du jour was a savoury bean and truffle featuring Code’s Corner Farm certified organic white beans, one of more than 70 local farms within a 19-mile radius of Hudson’s that supply the chef’s ever-changing, seasonal menu. Starters at dinner recently included seared albacore tuna, duck liver parfait, crispy pork belly and traditional gravad lax. In addition to moules and frites, mains included pan-seared Arctic char, loin of Fraser Valley pork, braised heritage Angus beef, and a duo of Bradner Farm organic game hen and beet risotto.

“We want to establish Hudson’s On First as the spot for fine dining for the mid-Island,” Hudson explained. “We make everything in-house, all the baked goods and pastries, crackers, sausages, house-

Elizabeth Nyland

Elizabeth Nyland

Beet risotto served with deep fried jalapeno popper filled with smoked white cheddar.

Crispy pork belly with house made black pudding, quince and vanilla puree and pickled walnuts.

Duo of Bradner Farm organic game hen with potato gnocchi, celeriac puree and

sauce

churned ice cream and sorbets. We make everything, and I use everything. The only things that go into the compost are mussel shells and onion skins.”

Asked if he was enjoying the transition from chef to chef-owner, Hudson sinks a little into one of his comfy dining room chairs. “Sometimes,” he sighs, adding with a smile. “It’s been a real good experience and relatively seamless. My wife did all the books for her family’s renovation business, and she’s my general manager. Her family has a mill, and they did all the woodwork and renovations. Andrea and her mom did all the interior design work, and she hired a great staff from the local community. I’ve got that old-school, British work ethic, so I don’t mind working hard,” Hudson continues while flashing another boyish grin, “and things are working out pretty well.” BY

JOSEPH BLAKE

Township Coffee

4343 Tyndall Road, Victoria | 778.265.3253 | townshipcoffeeco.com

A year ago if you asked Gordon Head residents what they wanted, they would have said “a coffee shop!” Erik Jensen got the message loud and clear, and he opened the first Township Coffee Co. on the corner of Tyndall and San Juan. Erik’s timing couldn’t have been better—the residents of Gordon Head had been writing the city, telling them that they wanted a good, local coffee shop in the neighborhood. The location Erik picked for Township used to be an old air raid siren tower, then later ripped down and a corner store was built. As a kid you would have gone there on your bike to get candy and milk. The corner store had been there around 20 years, but in the last few years was not operational and had become fairly dilapidated. The land was bought by an engineering firm, where they built some townhomes, their offices and a small storefront, which is now Township Coffee Co.

Erik comes from a background in the service industry and, most recently, had worked at Café Fantastico for many years. He felt like it was time to move on and decided to take a trip to Portland. Once there, he got re-energized on caffeine and the idea of coffee. As a result he decided to open his own coffee shop. He took all the best features he found in Portland’s coffee scene and put them into one space. Township Coffee Co. is a community hub—a modern corner store, if you will. It has a large community board where residents can post items and upcoming events. They serve Café Fantastico coffee and sell their beans; they have fabulous teas from Jagasilk; they have breads to buy from Fry’s Red Wheat Bakery; they sell fresh baked goods from Township’s own kitchen; and they also carry Janice Mansfield’s Real Food Made Easy gluten-free baked goods (Janice lives in the area, so everything is very fresh). Township’s chef John Garside makes daily soups and sandwiches in their kitchen— one day the sandwich was spicy capicola and hot peppers on Fry’s Red Wheat bread.

Erik is excited that his shop is becoming such a community hub, especially going into summertime, as the location is so close to the baseball and soccer fields, as well as being right on a major cycling route.

Erik has plans to offer coffee classes in the summer at night to build the Gordon Head coffee community, teaching people the differences between single and blended origin coffees, as well as the taste differences (Café Fantastico has up to 16 different varieties of coffee at a time!).

Next time you’re in the area, or if you’re lucky enough to live close by, stop in for a great cup of coffee. Sit in front of the giant windows or, if the weather’s good, sit out on the large patio and enjoy the sun! BY

COLIN HYNES

Elizabeth Nyland

I’m the only oil that you need in your kitchen. My love affair with food has evolved over the past 25 years. Like any healthy relationship we complement each other, I provide coldpressed, unrefined, undamaged, essential omega 3, 6, and 9 oils that make any dish healthy and nutritious. Unlike other oils, Udo’s Oil™ is light and heat sensitive, don’t even think about heating me; I damage easily. Instead, add me to any of your favourite dishes; it will be like a match made in heaven.

FIND ME IN THE COOLER

The Victoria Public Market

The Victoria Public Market at the Hudson | 1701 Douglas Street, Victoria | www.victoriapublicmarket.com

The market is coming! The market is coming! Does anyone else feel a bit like a kid waiting for the carnival to roll into town? Like all good things, this will be worth the wait. The new market is set to open in stages, with an outdoor, weekly Saturday Farmers Market beginning sometime in May on the back carriage way at the Hudson. At the time this goes to press, the Market Society is projecting a soft opening on June 22nd, with a grand opening on July 13th for the permanent indoor market.

The Victoria Public Market will consist of four different types of vendor. The Farmers Market will offer year-round open-air market space available on Wednesdays and Saturdays, on both a drop-in and reserved basis. Day tables for local farmers and food producers will be available inside the market, again with drop-in or reserved options. Kiosks will be available down the centre of the indoor market for yearly lease – this is where you’ll find things like a FOO outlet or Cosmo Meens’ newest soup spot.

Finally, permanent vendors will occupy retail spaces around the perimeter of the market. The latest permanent vendors to sign on include Cowichan Bay Seafood, and Vij’s, joining Wildfire Bakery, Salt Spring Island Cheese Company, Island Spice Trade, Victoria Pie Shop and Silk Road. George Szasz (formerly of Paprika and Stage) and Ryan McGregor (former GM at Canoe Brewpub) have partnered to create Roast, a new deli that will serve up rotisserie chicken and sausage sandwiches. A new green grocer, called Farmer in the Del will also occupy one of these spaces, run by Del McLean. A longtime supporter of local agriculture, McLean has well-established connections with South Island farmers and has plans to carry local produce whenever possible. He already has waste reduction strategies in place, such as collaborations with other market vendors, providing produce for soups, etc. An additional component of the new market will be the community learning kitchen, allowing the market to meet its mandate of being a place of education as well as commerce.

For more information or updates, please visit the Victoria Downtown Public Market Society’s website www.victoriapublicmarket.com or Facebook page www.facebook.com/victoriadowntownmarket

BY REBECCA BAUGNIET

Lily Mae’s Comfort Café

12 Powell St. | 604.558.2599 | www.lilymaes.ca

Gastown, over the last handful of years, has sculpted itself into Vancouver’s latest dining mecca. Asian street food, Spanish tapa, “monstr-ous” sushi, and casual diners galore have reshaped how people eat. Which somehow makes the opening of Lily Mae’s Comfort Café (named after one owner’s mom) on Powell Street rather apropos. In a neighbourhood of individualists, nothing is more unique than a quiet, homey place that pays homage to truly classic comfort food. Think your great-aunt Edith’s (Piaf, not Porter) cooking—if she’d had a penchant for cheerful bistros, clean design, and really, really good wines.

Owners Armand Tencha and Jeff Jenkins have created a bright, open space that makes a comfortable setting for some solidly good food. On the main floor, the typical heritage brick walls are dressed with bright oils, baskets of fresh produce, and potted stemmy buds that hint of something green to come. Upstairs there is an intimate, cozy, ruffled space that is sure to be popular with couples looking for a more intimate setting.

As for the solidly good food, beef bourguignon ($18) is tender, thick and all about textural contrasts— crisp carrots with soft, creamy potatoes, breath-dissipated beef and thick sauce made for carb-dunking. On my first visit, I enjoyed an absolutely simple niçoise salad ($11) that used a grade of ahi tuna that was ovation-worthy. The menu also gives nods towards more southerly cuisines as well, like the herbed parmesan risotto arancini ($8) and the pork-and-beef-meatballs with mushroom risotto ($16).

On another visit, the three-course prix fixe ($29) had me starting with a lovely onion soup based on a rich, clean beef broth, followed by the bourguignon and a truly outstanding apple-bacon cake with a crunchy caramel topping that was better than my late grandmother’s (she never had bacon on hers).

The wine list is equally comfortable. Four whites, five reds, all available by the glass, stand next to an equally select craft brew list. The wines range from Burgundy territory to California and B.C., and all are good selections for the food. Comfortable really is the name of the game here, and Lily Mae delivers to both the palate and the pocketbook.

BY ANYA LEVYKH

Rainier Provisions

If ever there was a Godfather of Gastown, Sean Heather would be the man. The restaurateur began with a small Irish pub (The Irish Heather) and whiskey house (Shebeen), and grew that into a multitentacled operation that covers everything from Spanish tapas and charcuterie to sandwiches and classic Irish fare.

His latest operation, Rainier Provisions, is also his largest. The deli-cum-restaurant houses a wicked good meat counter, wholly supplied by famed fifth-generation sausage maker Drews Driessen. There’s also a small general store, selling, of course, basic provisions like flour, good olive oils, condiments, tea and canned goods. The highlight, however, is the restaurant, with well over 80 seats, mainly laid out with banquet and communal tables and folding metal chairs. Despite the stark furnishings, it’s a bright, cheerful, open space with high ceilings and lots of white tile. One wall is papered with bunches of produce.

It’s the type of place you can drop in for a sandwich or hot plate, a casual drink with friends, a cuppa tea on a cold day, or just a dry run when the pantry is running low.

The menu is divided into small and large plates, and is mainly an amalgamation of everything that Heather’s various restaurants offer. A large plate of bangers and mash ($9) is typical of the Irish Heather, with its large handmade bangers and roasted garlic potatoes replacing the mash. The kale caesar ($8) was another good pick, with creamy housemade dressing, parmesan and asiago (although I missed the anchovies). The Medianoche sandwich ($9) was a lovely find, its pulled pork not overly sweet but extremely fork-tender and housed in a crispy Parker roll.

In keeping with the casual theme, the hooch is mainly hops, with a couple of grape selections (each around $8 or $9 per glass) to round out the caffeinated offerings.

I finished my second visit with dessert in a jar—the latest trend to hit the local sweet scene. This was a light mascarpone cheesecake ($6) with Okanagan peach compote and graham cracker crumbs. I could get used to jars.

BY ANYA LEVYKH

Harvest Community Foods

243 Union St., Chinatown | 604.682.8851 | www.harvestunion.ca

Andrea Carlson has long been one of Vancouver’s culinary treasures. Her past EC stints at posts like Raincity Grill and Bishop’s only served to highlight her affinity for, and deep understanding of, local ingredients and how best to showcase them. When she left Bishop’s, my first—admittedly selfish—thought was, Where will I be able to enjoy her food now??

The answer wasn’t long in coming. While going through the labourious process of permits and rebuilds on her own forthcoming operation (stay tuned), Carlson came on board as a consultant at a new local grocer, the idea for which had been crowd-sourced, as had the name. A few short months, and the consultant became the owner of Harvest Community Foods, and the grocer became more than just a retail operation. A simple menu of ramen and udon options (most around $9) drew the neighbours—and those further afield—like flies to the proverbial local, ethically-produced honey. It isn’t hard to see why.

Beautiful, clear, fragrant broth is loaded with high-quality ramen, free-range heritage pork shoulder, candied bacon, radish strips and a perfectly prepared slow-cooked egg whose yolk is a warm, creamy counter to the light ginger heat that emanates from the broth. It might be a tad pricier than your average ramen bowl, but everything in it sings of local, organic, sustainable. Udon with sake kazu marinated chicken, watercress and copious amounts of shitake is another winner; hot, hearty and bursting with flavour rather than fat.

As for the aforementioned retail side, it covers everything from Noble handcrafted maple syrup and organic grains and flours, to Beta 5 cookies, Birchwood Dairy and Earnest ice cream. There’s also a local CSA that operates year-round, and food service has been expanded to include brunch. Look for items like breakfast udon, gluten-free green onion and cheddar waffles with fried egg, bacon and maple syrup, and granola with organic yogurt, apple sorbet and rose-infused honey. And yes, the ingredients are those that are sold on the retail side, so eat in-house, then take it with you to recreate at home. Harvest is truly the little grocer that could, should and, happily, will.

BY ANYA LEVYKH

Lunch:

travel

stories — by Jeremy Ferguson

Eating Up the Oregon Coast

Exemplary local food and drink transform the journey into a food lover’s pleasure trail.

IT’S ABOUT THE PACIFIC: Where British Columbia and Washington State offer only intermittent access, Oregon goes all the way: its remarkable Highway 101 hugs the ocean from top to bottom.

Today the 584-kilometre drive from Washington State to the California border makes for an incomparable coastal odyssey. It’s the thundering surf and scimitars of golden sand afloat in Pacific mists, yes. It’s the sea stacks—giant stone pinnacles sculpted by wind and water—that garland the coast.

But it’s also the local food and drink that transform the journey into a food lover’s treasure trail. An easy Coho crossing and an amble through Washington delivers Victorians to the starting point—Astoria, Oregon’s northernmost city, once the “Cannery Capital of the World.”

For a city of 10,000, Astoria’s plenty multicultural. Its eateries are Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Thai, even Bosnian. Old-timer among them is Baked Alaska (www.bakedak.com). Chris Holen opened it when he was a boy-chef 12 years ago. It sits on a wharf, a love of fish and seafood its winning way.

Clams come steamed with Italian sausage, fennel and Pernod. Chinook salmon jumps from the pan crispy-skinned and juicy-fleshed. Alaskan tuna shows up seared rare in a crust of coffee, while halibut picks up some excitement from a hazelnut crust. Nary a bite arrives overcooked. And there are 50 wines under $25 a bottle. We’re not in B.C. anymore, Toto.

Cannon Beach is rightly famous for its vast arc of pale sand and Haystack Rock, the mother of all sea stacks. The splurge accommodation is the Stephanie Inn, with topof-the-line everything. In late afternoon, it treats guests to a complimentary wine tasting of a dozen premium labels.

The restaurant (www.stephanieinn.com/diningroom.asp) is the sort of place you expect—and get—black truffle caviar: pearls made from truffle juice. Chef Aaron Bedard marries Dungeness crab, organic greens, tomatoes and lemon vinaigrette as a salad, then tosses in the crrrunch of fried leeks. Seafood Provençale brings a seamless meld of shrimps, Manila clams and salmon in a scrumptious lobster-tomato broth. Chef loves crusts. He crusts pork tenderloin in cocoa and stuffs it with port-marinated cherries. He crusts beef tenderloin in pepper. And maple pumpkin cheesecake with ginger molasses. Ooh-la-la.

courtesy Stephanie Inn

Jeremy Ferguson

left: Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach. right: Pork chop crusted in coffee at the Stephanie Inn.

left: Misty afternoon on Cannon Beach. right: End of the Oregon Dunes

Southern Oregon came late to tourism. One hotelier describes the region as “underpopulated, undertrafficked and underdeveloped.” Coos Bay, with a population of 16,000, is the coast’s largest city. In Coos Bay, anglers are seen casting for chinook from the boardwalk.

Coos Bay’s leading restaurant is the Plankhouse (www.themillcasino.com), a casino restaurant owned by the Coquille Indian Tribe. It delivers predictably rich and creamy chowder, seafood towers and crispy deep-fry. Not to miss are the outstanding Umqua Blue Triangle oysters, rich and creamy with a long cucumber finish.

Out of Coos Bay, the fishing village of Charleston speaks for the southern Oregon fishing scene. Fish and chips abound, but here they use albacore tuna, not flavour-free Pacific cod. Chuck’s Seafood sells tuna, Alaskan cod, chinook salmon and Petrale sole at prices to make a Victorian weep. The itinerant Victorian smartly builds a picnic of wee pink local shrimps, smoked alabacore and a bottle of the very fine Elk Cove pinot gris from the Willamette Valley.

The south’s best restaurant is Redfish (www.redfishportorford.com) at Port Orford.

Chef Jeremy Kelly’s signature scallops dazzle, barely cooked through and served with pancetta, truffled polenta and sweet potato “hay.” Lamb rack is a massive weapon of a

dish; one might use it to intimidate a vegan or two. To finish, crème brûlée tips the dessert-lover’s scale, a rich, velvety cream under a crackling crust with fresh blueberries and raspberries.

The south is also the place to fish for chinook—Americans call it “king”— salmon and the orange-fleshed steelhead trout. When Oregonians talk about fishing, they mean river fishing, trolling on the Columbia, Rogue and Chetco rivers. What a treat for people who don’t enjoy being tossed around like rag dolls on open water.

Brookings, less than 10 kilometres from the California border, is the southernmost town in Oregon. It’s a sprawling coast of sea stacks, panoramas, secluded beaches and the 43.5-kilometre-long Oregon Coast Trail cherished by wilderness hikers.

Eat at Holleran’s Steak House (www.ohollerans.com), no longer a beeferia, now a stylish lounge and restaurant slanted to fish and seafood. Dine on salmon soup, fresh calamari and a vast selection of swimmers from razor clams to grilled oysters.

Last stop before you hit the California border is the Oceanside Diner (541-469-7971).

A favourite with Chetco River fishermen and loggers, it opens at 4 a.m. and sells fishing licences. A whopping portion of ling cod with eggs, hash browns and English muffins is the perfect start for the drive home.

Jeremy Ferguson

Carol Clemens

by Elizabeth Smyth Monk

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

A full day of inexpensive, adventurous eating: beef tendon in chili sauce, anyone?

Cherries Breakfast Bistro, 4144 Wilkinson Rd. at Interurban, 250-590-8879

It’s a good sign when you fondly remember a dish several days after eating it. I recently visited Cherries Breakfast Bistro, a cheery little spot in a small mall most kindly described as unprepossessing, behind the Co-op gas station at the corner of Wilkinson and Interurban. The locals come here to meet and chat, creating a companionable atmosphere to go along with the comforting food. The biggest star for me was the Duck ’n’ Hash for $13.95. The housemade duck sausage is sage-infused and speckled with dried cranberries. It sits atop a very elegant “hash,” which is sliced, roasted sweet potatoes with thyme and rosemary sautéed with onions and peppers and topped with smoked Cheddar and bacon. This all melds into a succulent sauce for the potatoes and combines creatively with the sausage. Another savoury dish in the “go big or go home” category is the Breakfast Poutine for $11.95. Pulled pork and cheese curds are draped over herbed potatoes and presented with two jaunty, upright spears of bacon and a

poached egg. But what’s this on the side? It’s an apple and arugula salad, the sweetness of the apple elevating and lightening the dish. On the sweeter side, a showstopper is the Nutella-stuffed French Toast, with wedges of soft, eggy housemade bread presented upright, with Nutella oozing from them, and whipped cream on top to gild the lily. The bistro’s blintz is more interesting than the usual: a German pancake instead of a crêpe is stuffed with ricotta zipped up with some orange zest instead of the more traditional cottage cheese, making it a more dense and substantial meal. Other menus items: a Reuben – moist, juicy, great; and the Portabella Roasted Pepper Sandwich – same. In summary, there are surprises to be found behind a Co-op gas station. Phone ahead to check hours, which are in transition. Currently, the grill is open until 3 p.m., and coffee, wraps and sandwiches are available until closing time at 5.

Cherries Breakfast Bistro Pictured left: Duck ’n’ Hash right: A selection of fresh baked goods

Elizabeth Nyland

The whole beast

At Café Veneto - Bacon cheeseburger with Cheddar, Havarti, bacon and chipotle mayo

Café Veneto, 653 Pandora at Douglas, 250-383-4157

Careful now – I’m not talking about Veneto Tapas Restaurant, home of sliders and salacious cocktails. I’m talking about Café Veneto beside it, a bright, airy space that offers all-day breakfasts and a small but well-executed lunch menu. One crossover dish from the night menu is the bacon cheeseburger, one of the coveted “secret burgers” that occasionally appear, and then disappear, on Friday and Saturday nights at Veneto. This burger has charged up into my list of favourites because it’s moist and oozy, with lots of Cheddar, Havarti, bacon and chipotle mayo, served on a housemade brioche. This is the most expensive lunch item at $14. The fries are not a starchy afterthought. Care has been taken, and they rival Brasserie’s for crispness and flavour. Similar care has been taken with the chicken quesadilla for $12. The chicken, guacamole, roasted red pepper and shredded jack cheese have arugula added for a touch of sophistication, and the whole concoction is grilled and served with a side salad of red and yellow tomatoes and raw mozzarella all tossed in a sweet white balsamic reduction. A lighter option is the gorgeous Tempura Rockfish and Baja Shrimp Taco, which brings back memories of Tofino for me: tender fish topped with a sweet mango-tomato salsa and a spicy Asian slaw. This is a place to go for a casually elegant lunch.

Elizabeth Nyland

Top: Pot-Stewed Duck

Bottom: Steamed Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables

Newly updated and expanded for 2013 Winner of the 2011 Gourmand International Wine Books Awards for Canada

Finalist for the 2012 Taste Canada Food Writing Awards

Forum Restaurant, 612 Fisgard near Government, 250.385.3288

Under new ownership. These are the first key words to grasp. Two months ago Wei and Judy Jiang took over Forum and are bringing authentic Sichuan food to Victoria. I’ll be open about my initial information source: it’s Carlos Chan of Victoria Chinese Dining News, a new Chinese-language periodical doing reviews and rankings of specific dishes. The March edition gave the new Forum a very high rating, and in particular the Pot-Stewed Duck (#94) was named a star. In the spirit of copycats everywhere, I’m going to say that I loved it too. This traditional and generous dish is stewed with soy sauce and herbs, many of which belie translation, but the translatable ones include anise, cinnamon, galangal and ginger root. The Green Beans Sichuan Style (#401) is another dish I’ll be back for. The cooking technique is dry-frying; lightly steamed beans are tossed in a dry wok with a mixture of preserved vegetables and minced pork. The result is crisp, crunchy beans with a sticky seasoning clinging to them. Preserved vegetables make another showing in the unusual, for me, Steamed Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables (#180). In western cuisine, we’ll often cut the richness of pork belly with a sweet or somewhat tart salsa or relish. Here it is pickled vegetables that provide a counterpoint. The fact that the owners are offering authentic food is shown in a couple of the more exotic offerings such as Beef Tendon and Ox Tripe in Chili Sauce and the strangely named Jell-O with Sichuan Chili Sauce. The latter is a gel made of water chestnuts and agar-agar. I’ve never liked jellies, including Jell-O, so this wasn’t for me, but the owners plan to start offering it as a small side dish so adventurous eaters can at least give it a try. A nice balance to some of the spicier dishes could be the eggplant with garlic sauce. I’ve got an allergy to eggplant, but the discriminating squad at Victoria Chinese Dining News gave it a 10 out of 10, and my husband enjoyed its sweetness and medley of spices that lingered on the tongue. All of these dishes were from the menu insert titled “Sichuan Specialties.” Our only dish from the main menu was a wonton soup for our daughter. It was pretty much the same as wonton soup anywhere, but a small size for only $3.75 makes it handy for kid-feeding. The dishes ranged from $9.95 to $14.95, and were large; I doubt a group would need one dish per person, so this would be an affordable and interesting evening meal.

Chicken Biryani

Elizabeth Nyland

by Jeff Bateman

Evolution of a Superior Species

Blue-eyed, flame-haired Lisa Boehme has regained her mojo and then some. After flirting with burnout inrecent years, she’s relaunched her James Bay restaurant as The Superior, dropping “café” from the title and gearing down from six nights a week to a more manageable Thursday-to-Saturday night supper-club format. Live music, film-noir nights and famously eclectic furnishings remain hallmarks of one of Victoria’s coziest, hippest rooms. Meanwhile, Kevin Hernandez (Boehme’s new husband and mojo-maker in chief) and Kellan Musseau are continuing popular ex-chef Torin Egan’s innovative ways with all things local and organic. Boehme certainly appreciates the value of evolutionary change. Her latest aesthetic makeover of the Superior is the 38th such seasonal facelift since the room opened in 2005. The spring look features a floorto-ceiling repaint, a collection of fur-bearing taxidermy pieces and, appropriately, a “survival of the fittest” blackboard quote from Charles Darwin. “The restaurant trade isn’t easy at the best of times, and I’d been unhappy the last few years,” she says. “With Torin heading off for new adventures, we needed to adapt or die. Now we’ve removed a lot of the pressure and still retained everything that makes this place so special. All of us here are totally excited about where we’re headed.”

One new wrinkle: VIP guest chefs will be taking over the kitchen on occasional Saturday nights in the future, an initiative that Boehme figures makes her 1912 heritage hideaway even more of an event-oriented destination. “We’ve giving some of the Pacific Northwest’s amazingly talented chefs a chance to shine in a new setting. It’s a win for them, for us and local diners.” First on deck on May 25 is Castro Boateng, former chef at the Aerie. Daidoco’s Naotatsu Ito and the former Sooke Harbour House’s Robin Jackson are booked for a collaborative evening on June 28.

Lighting up with another smile, Boehme reveals she’s also headed back to her coffeehouse roots. Upon relocating from La Jolla, California, with her antiques-dealer dad in the mid-1980s, she launched and ran for a decade one of the city’s first cool java joints—south Johnston Street’s La Boheme. Early this spring she won approval from City Hall to operate what promises to be a landmark coffee stand on the sunny west side of the same building that houses The Superior. The Mortis Cycle Donut Company, as it shall be known, will feature takeaway barista drinks, 2 Percent Jazz coffee and baked goods made by Hernandez, a veteran of Seattle’s celebrated Macrina Bakery. “We’ve named it after the fact that I call Kevin ‘mon amour,’ and he calls me ‘mon amortis,’” she says with a bright laugh. Swooning little deaths are sure to ensue as patrons bite into fresh biscuits, doughnuts and homemade ice cream sandwiches in the months ahead. thesuperior.ca

Lisa Boehme reinvents and relaunches The Superior.

Rebecca Wellman

Hea h v tasted e y!

HelLo Deli

miLe-hiGh saNdwicHes are a DelicAtessEn’S traDemark, and this One lives Up to its MonikEr.

Recipes and food styling by JENNIFER DANTER

Art Direction by GARY HYNES

phaT it up: be FearleSs. paN-fry

Bread in bacon DrippinGs.

Photography by MICHAEL TOURIGNY

Big Ass Sandwich

This is really an excuse to eat lots of bacon. Buy good quality bacon from your local butcher or pick up a slab of pork belly to make DIY bacon at home (minus the smoke). Since this bacon isn’t smoky, use smoked Cheddar on the sandwich to round out the flavour. And be generous with all the sandwich fixings and condiments!

1 lb pork belly

Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

2 garlic cloves, cut in halves

2 leeks, thinly sliced

2 carrots, chopped

2 cups dry cider

2 cups chicken or beef stock

Season pork with salt and pepper. Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add pork and sear both sides. Remove pork (leave in all the drippings), then reduce heat to medium. Add garlic, leek and carrot. Stir often, until soft, 5 minutes. Pour in cider and bring to a boil. Stir often until liquid has reduced by half. Return pork belly to Dutch oven and pour in enough stock to barely cover pork. Bring back to a boil, then place in preheated 350°F oven. Braise, occasionally turning meat over, until tender, about 1 to 1½ hours. Remove pork; strain liquid and return to Dutch oven. Skim and discard excess fat. (If you have more time, refrigerate liquid so fat solidifies. This makes it easier to remove.) Place over medium-high heat. Boil liquid down to form a glaze. You should have about ¼ cup. For a decadent sandwich spread, stir glaze into spoonfuls of mayo mixed with grainy mustard. Cool pork, then thickly slice.

Sandwich assembly:

Pan-fry pork belly slices. Toast slices of light rye or challah bread. Generously smear toast with mayo sauce. Scatter shredded lettuce over bottom slice, then top with sliced tomatoes, pickles, red onion rings, thin slices of smoked cheddar, bacon and a fried egg. Add in pickled beets, pickled jalapeño peppers, you name it! Top with toast slice, then cut in half. Don’t forget the hot sauce.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Curd

After a robust meal, you don’t often want dessert. The beauty of curd is that it’s both tart and sweet–a good foil for anything rich. Keep it simple and serve with cookies and meringues from a bakery.

1½ cups chopped rhubarb

1 cup chopped strawberries

1 orange or lemon

¾ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup water

5 egg yolks

2 eggs

½ tsp sea salt

3 Tbsp butter

Place rhubarb and strawberries in a saucepan. Add 3 to 4 strips peel from orange and stir in ¼ cup sugar and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce and simmer until fruit is really soft and broken down, 5 to 8 minutes. Discard orange peels. Whirl in a blender. Pass through a sieve. You should have about 1 cup puree.

In a bowl that will fit over a double boiler, whisk egg yolks with eggs, remaining ½ cup sugar and salt. Squeeze in juice from orange. Gradually whisk in fruit puree. Place bowl over a saucepan or double boiler with simmering water. Whisk or stir with a wooden spoon, scraping down side of bowl often, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter until mixed in. Cover with a piece of plastic to prevent a skin from forming, then cool. Curd will keep well, refrigerated, up to 10 days.

Our “Big Ass Sandwich” is a bold and cheeky tribute to bacon and eggs slapped between rye bread. Eating this may make you pose the question: “Is there such a thing as too much bacon?”

The whole meal is an exercise in gathering local goodies: visit the butcher, your favourite cheese store and bakery. Pile on those farm fresh eggs and veggies or take satisfaction in using up last year’s pickles. As they say in the sandwich world, go big or go home.

Galloping Goose Grille

When you’re looking for hearty, unpretentious food and hearty laughs, head for the Galloping Goose Grille in Langford.

This casual West Coast dining restaurant, which is open seven days a week for brunch, lunch and dinner, is drawing in patrons by offering delicious dishes and monthly stand-up comedy shows. Along with classic brunch offerings, chefs Philip Kwong and Chad Wilson prepare tempting fare such as coconut milk French toast with caramelized apples and bacon, and brioche bunwiches filled with fried eggs, bacon and cheese. Their popular housemade tagliatelle is laden with smoked pulled pork and mushrooms. Standout dishes include buttermilk-fried chicken with chipotle ale cornbread, fish cakes made with wild salmon and cod, bison meatloaf and their signature smoked fish and dill chowder. A rotating array of flavourful soups, from carrot-fennel to borsht, are made fresh daily. Scrumptious,too-big-for-yourmouth beef burgers, chicken wings, beer-battered (cod) fish and chips and, of course, poutine, are crowd pleasers.

Before moving to Vancouver Island, Kwong, the Grille’s co-owner and director of operations, Wilson, the kitchen manager, and Yvonne Lee, the restaurant’s general manager, worked together in the kitchen of Oru, the restaurant at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver. In February 2012, the trio came to Langford to soup up the Grille, which Kwong’s father had opened in October 2011. Lee, who worked as the restaurant chef at Pacific Rim, created and revamped the Grille’s menu. She continues to invent new dishes with input from Kwong and Wilson.

“We focus on simple dishes that are full of flavour and create everything from scratch,” says Kwong. “We make our own pasta, and smoke the fish and the pulled pork in-house. It’s a three-day process during which the pork is marinated in brine, smoked and then slowly roasted off in the oven,” he explains. “We’ve started contacting local farmers so we can use all the wonderful produce and foods that are grown and raised locally.” The Grille’s fast-paced kitchen also prepares food for Langford Lanes, the 20-lane bowling alley beside the restaurant, which is the only 10-pin alley in the Victoria area.

Every month, The Galloping Goose Grille hosts three comedy nights, featuring well-known Canadian and American stand-up comics. “We do something a little different for the comedy nights,” Kwong explains. “We create a lounge effect with dim lighting and serve tapas and smaller dishes, such as pulled pork sliders.”

The combination of yummy West Coast comfort food and laughter in a warm and welcoming atmosphere is proving to be a winning combination for these enthusiastic chefs and their patrons.

—by Sylvia Weinstock

The Galloping Goose Grille, in the Langford Lanes facility at 1097 Langford Parkway, is open for brunch, lunch and dinner Monday to Thursday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to midnight. Brunch is served from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information, call 250-9209397 or go to gallopinggoosegrille.com. Reservations are recommended.

Pan-seared Salmon with celery puree & seasonal vegetables

Bison Meatloaf with mashed potato, peas & gravy

Colin Hynes

Colin Hynes

WHITES

Dopff & Irion Pinot Gris 2011 France

$19.00-21.00

Textbook Alsatian Pinot Gris! Very aromatic with citrus, honey and mineral notes, slightly oily on the palate with balanced acidity, ripe fruit flavours and a soft-spicy finish.

Quails’ Gate Dry Riesling 2012 Okanagan

$17.00-19.00

I’ve been impressed for several years now by the finesse of Quails’ Gate Dry Riesling. The fruit comes from the 25-year old estate vineyard and with each and every new-year this wine seems to gain a little. Experience, vine age? Maybe. What I do know is that there is nothing simple or ordinary about this Riesling. Racy with a kiss of residual sweetness to tame the acidity! Pure Okanagan fruit on the nose with peach and citrus aromas! The wine shows a surprising amount of weight on the palate with ripe fruit flavours, high-toned acidity and a vibrant finish.

Painted Wolf “The Den” Chenin Blanc

2012 South Africa $16.00-18.00

Founded by Jeremy and Emma Borg, Painted Wolf is a winery to watch out for. The grapes are sourced from 20 to 40 year old vines grown in the Paarl region of South Africa. Medium to fullbodied with lovely mouth-feel and just enough zippy acidity to keep it focused. Nicely balanced with tropical fruit, apple and vanilla flavours.

Glen Carlou Paarl Chardonnay 2011 South Africa $23.95-26.00

Fermented in French oak and barrel aged, sur lie for 10 months, this richly textured South African Chardonnay does not disappoint. Very refreshing with lime, apple, spice and nutty butterscotch aromas. Full-bodied and balanced with juicy fruit flavours and wellintegrated oak.

Cedar Creek Pinot Gris 2011 Okanagan $18.00-20.00

Fresh, fruity and mouth filling with ripe peach, honey and spice flavours, great acidity and a soft creamy texture. Very nicely balanced with great charm.

Domaine de Begrolles Muscadet Sur Lie 2010 France $16.00-17.00

Dry, crisp and always thirst quenching. Melon De Bourgogne is not known for its thought provoking attributes. Well-made Muscadet is light (11.5% alc/vol) and simple. Just a kiss of citrus and mineral. Something to be enjoyed with a few freshly shucked oysters or a moment in the sun.

left: Lange Twins Lodi Estate Zinfandel 2010 right: Cedar Creek Pinot Gris 2011

REDS

Kettle Valley Hayman “John’s Block” Pinot Noir 2010 Okanagan $37.00-40.00

Located on the Naramata Bench, just outside of Penticton, Kettle Valley Winery is small and family owned, with a reputation for producing distinct wines of exceptional quality. Named after the late John Levine, “John’s Block” is definitely not for the faint of heart. It is big it is bold and it handles it well. Rich and concentrated with ripe cherry, spice and mocha flavours, nicely balanced with soft acidity and a patina of fine grained tannin. Notch up another tasty effort from the boys in Naramata! With a total production of only 83 cases Hayman Pinot Noir will not last long on store shelves! Get it while you can.

Lopez de Haro Rioja Crianza 2008 Spain $16.00-18.00

Yeow! This is one tasty bottle of wine. This Crianza is a blend of Tempranillo (93%) and Garnacha (7%) aged in a combination of French and American oak for 18 months. The nose is fairly typical of Rioja with strawberry, dusty mineral and herb aromas. Medium-bodied and silky smooth with red berry and vanilla flavours, fine grained tannins and a long dry finish. Delicious.

Hermanos Pecina Rioja Crianza 2007 Spain $25.00-27.00

The Pecinas family has been growing grapes in Rioja for five generations but only started making wine in 1992. They are not widely known but make terrific wines in both modern and a traditional style. This blend of Tempranillo (95%), Graciano (3%) and Garnacha (2%) was aged in American oak for 24 months then matured in the bottle for another 24 months before release. It is really more of a Reserva then a Crianza. This wine is ready to drink with ripe strawberry, tobacco and vanilla flavours, fine-grained tannins and a silky smooth finish. Seriously tasty.

Lange Twins Lodi Estate Zinfandel 2010 California $24.00-26.00

Zinfandel is the chameleon of wine grapes. It can be many things but most often turns up in BC as a cheap, mass-produced red or an even cheaper off-dry rose. This is old-vine Zinfandel that won’t break the bank but is guaranteed to get you thinking. “What have I been missing all these years?” Blackberries, black cherries, blue berries-well you get the picture. Oodles of ripe juicy fruit with a whiff of vanilla and soft silky tannins. Very approachable, highly enjoyable.

Ludovicus Celler Pinol 2008Spain $19.00-21.00

This hearty Spanish red is a blend of Grenache (35%), Tempranillo (30%), Syrah (25%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) sourced from vineyards located in the Terra Alta region of Spain, about 140 km southwest of Barcelona. Aged for 4 months in French and American oak, Ludovicus has plenty of heft with dark fruit and spice aromas and gobs of juicy ripe berry, spice and vanilla flavours. Highly recommended for the beast in us all.

Terra Andina Carmenere-Syrah 2012 Chile $9.00-12.00

This is hands-down one of the best, affordable, everyday-drinking wines found in this province. Medium-full bodied with intense black fruit, pepper and red capsicum flavours, gentle tannins and a long firm finish. Great value for everyday enjoyment that won’t put you into your line of credit.

DRINKING Guide: How to use our purchasing information.

*Asterisks denote wines that are only available at the winery or select private liquor stores. Some may be in limited quantities. All other wines are available through BC Liquor Stores. Prices may vary.

Toasty caramel biscuit, floral hops and tangy citrus make this American-style pale ale an easy drinking choice. 5.2% alc

The Bite: Mini Powdered Sugar Donuts

Donut Queens at the Moss Street Market fry some of the best. They’re made fresh while you wait and it’s hard to leave a few in the bag for later when you get home.

The Conclusion: While the combo may seem louche we love washing down sugary donuts with a chill, refreshing summer beer. Thanks Homer.

A

hoynebrewing.ca mossstreetmarket.com

AT

same room, same friends, spring menu

2232 oak bay avenue T 250.590.7424

- By Treve Ring

Pinot Noir

They don’t call it the heartbreak grape for nothing. The haunting scented memories of one perfectly aged Grand Cru Burgundy have been imprinted on my brain for more than a decade. Each Pinot Noir I sniff fails to reach the perfumed, ethereal grace and quiet power of that one wine. Not that I object to the hunt, mind you. It’s just that capricious Pinot Noir can be intoxicatingly beguiling, or maddeningly disappointing (more oft the latter in unskilled hands). I was comforted to see it’s not just me that feels this way about this ancient grape. In Jancis Robinson’s brilliant Wine Grapes, the black grape is described as thus: “Finicky Burgundian vine produces wildly variable, relatively delicate, potentially haunting essences of place.”

Numerous clones, various mutations and countless synonyms over the past, oh, 1000 years or so have made it a difficult family tree to follow. What is certain however, is this low-yielding, early budding, early ripening grape appreciates calcareous-clay and limestone soils and cool-moderate temperate climates. The heartbreak nickname also references this delicate grape’s susceptibility to mildews, botrytis and viruses. But in this fine tuned grape’s delicacy also lies its strength. Fewer grapes can transmit terroir like this one, expressing the slightest change in soil and vintage, especially in Burgundy where it rules the Côte-d'Or alongside Chardonnay. In non-interventionist hands, Pinot Noir provides a sincere fingerprint of time. Though it varies wildly depending on where it is grown, the grape shows characteristic cherry, raspberry, strawberry fruit, and earthy, autumn mushroom notes. Most are lighter in hue, higher in acidity and have low-moderate (easy-drinking) tannins. Select Burgundies can be among the priciest wines in the world, and can age for decades. But these are rare - there is much more Pinot Noir grown in Champagne than Burgundy, where it is a major component of the blend.

ORCHARD

Liquidity Wines

Pinot Noir 2010

ORIGIN: Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, BC

THE WALLET: *$24-28

ALCOHOL: 13.5% abv

TASTE: Liquidity is relatively new to the BC wine scene, though showing confidently through their proficient, practiced team. 19 year old vines, sustainably harvested, show fresh Okanagan orchard fruits at first whiff, with sweet red cherries, ripe raspberries, fine rasped spice and a lick of red licorice. There’s a lovely, silky fluidity on the palate, through to the finish.

VENERABLE

Joseph

Drouhin

Côte de Beaune 2009

ORIGIN: Burgundy, France

THE WALLET: $40-45

ALCOHOL: 13% abv

TASTE: Herbal spice and anise sweetness tinged with a soft puff of tobacco smoke lure you into the glass. Black cherry and sun warmed stone mingle happily on the juicy palate, with a welcome light gravel tannin grip, and a lingering bitter cherry finish.

Accessibly priced Burgundy, from an excellent name.

SMOKEY

Ata Rangi

Crimson Pinot Noir 2011

ORIGIN: Martinborough, New Zealand

THE WALLET: $28-32

ALCOHOL: 13.5% abv

TASTE: Like walking through a dewy, mossy forest in the early morning with hints of lingering campfire smoke in the air. This mouthfilling red is teeming with herbal raspberry, black cherry and juicy blackcurrant notes. Smooth and silky on the palate, with dried wild herb textured tannins on the lengthy finish.

LAYERED

Crowley

La Colina Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010

ORIGIN: Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon

THE WALLET: *$64

ALCOHOL: 13% abv

TASTE: This amazing single vineyard Willamette Valley

Pinot Noir is from a site in the perfumed Dundee Hills. Complexity in spades –white pepper dominant bouquet garni, violet leaf, ripe black cherry, and fragrant raspberry on the fuller, succulent palate. The bright acidity is flawlessly supportive. Clove and nutmeg close out the long finish.

HERBAL

Josef Chromy Wines

Pinot Noir 2010

ORIGIN: Tasmania, Australia

THE WALLET: *$30-35

ALCOHOL: 13% abv

TASTE: Juicy, vibrant and tart, in the best possible way – one that beckons food or is happy for solo contemplation.

Perfumed strawberry, young moss, red cherries, spring rhubarb and persistent savoury herbs throughout. Lovely finely ground cinnamon bark on the finish.

ROUND

Domaine

Chandon

Blanc de Noirs NV

ORIGIN: Napa Valley, California

THE WALLET: $28-32

ALCOHOL: 13% abv

TASTE: Blanc de Noirs translates as White from Blacks, or in this case, very pale white peach, from black grapes. A splash of Pinot Meunier completes this blend, yielding a round, softer sparkler with mild strawberry, young cherry, yellow Macintosh apples and shiny lemon notes. A pretty, perfumed rose note on the finish.

*Asterisks denote wines that are only available at the winery or select private liquor stores. Some may be in limited quantities. All other wines are available through BC Liquor Stores. Prices may vary.

Photo by Gary Hynes

2012 OKANAGAN VINTAGE REPORT

‘Tis the season. No – not that season. Even better. Rosé season! Spring in wine country, and by extension, locavore-loving BC, means the first appearance of 2012 whites and rosés in restaurants and store shelves. Earlier this week a small panel of winemakers and viticulturists from the Okanagan gathered to discuss last year’s vintage and give a glimpse of what we’re soon going to be enjoying in the glass.

Though 2010 and 2011 were widely recognized as “challenging” vintages, the wines from these piggybacked cool years ultimately yielded wines of bright acidity, low alcohol and a clean refinement that was welcome by most consumers. 2011 was one of the coolest vintages on record. In contrast, 2012 was much warmer, though not excessively or damagingly so. In fact, the panel was positively jolly that 2012 was “average”.

Healthy rains in the spring and into June provided ample water to the vines, and a warm and dry summer carried through into September and the start of the 2102 harvest in the southern Okanagan, on September 9. This year I noticed a definite shift in irrigation mentality across the panel. Instead of irrigation deprivation –denying the plant water to provide stress and concentrate the flavours in the grapes – winemakers’ pendulum has shifted to careful and measured watering as the plant needs it. Warwick Shaw, viticulturalist at Tantalus, noted that “the plants pay for deficit irrigation in hard winters, as they may die off. There is a move to not overstress the vines.”

Though in many regards, 2012 was a “textbook year” according to the panelists, the main hiccup shared down

the valley was a period of rainfall during the last two weeks of the harvest. While most of the white grapes were in, the majority of the black grapes were still on vine when the rains hit, leaving some wineries in a scramble to pick or gamble on the wet conditions. Soggy grapes are no good in the winery (think adding a splash of water to your glass of Riesling) or hanging on the vine (dampness can lead to disease and rot).

Fortunately, however, last summer’s extended warmth has translated to riper, fruit-expressive wines. You’ll notice a bit more tropical fruit in the whites, and plumper roundness in many of the reds. In comparison to the leanness of 2011, this highlights the importance of vintage – and why wine geeks like me get caught up talking about them. AND (topic for another column), one reason why vintages on restaurant winelists are so important.

Okanagan Crush Pad winemaker Michael Bartier summed up the wines succinctly. “2012 is a baby. I’m drinking 2007 BC wines right now. They’re really good.” Excellent to hear. I like having something to look forward to.

Here are a few first tastes from the 2012 vintage in the Okanagan Valley. —Treve Ring

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Gewurztraminer 2012, BC VQA Okanagan Valley. $18.49 12.9%

From Oliver’s Golden Mile, this Gew is mostly 16 year old vines (that’s old for the Okanagan) and full of soft perfume, fragrant lemon blossom and ripe gooseberry. Moderate acidity and medium body, with lingering peach spiciness to lead through the finish.

Sandhill Sauvignon Blanc 2012, BC VQA Okanagan Valley. $18.99 13.5%

This is the first Sauvignon Blanc from Hidden Terrace

Vineyard, nestled behind McIntyre Bluff north of Oliver. An impressive showing from three year old vines, with bright acidity, light herbal and tight green spring bud greenness and sweet, ripe grapefruit to temper.

Van Westen Vineyards Viognier 2012, BC VQA Okanagan Valley. $24.90 13.7%

Naramata Bench’s Rob Van Westen has never been known for making shy wines, and the newest Viognier is true to form. Even in this unreleased tank sample, the perfumed cold cream, tropical honeysuckle, white flowers and spike of ginger spice previews a ripe, highly perfumed lush and creamy white.

Haywire Switchback Vineyard Pinot Gris 2012, BC VQA Okanagan Valley. $23.00 13%

This tank sample, from Summerland’s experimental Switchback Vineyard, hints at the constant evolution of Okanagan Crush Pad’s wines. At this site, extensive soil analysis has resulted in various small lots of Pinot Gris being treated and fermented separately, and then reunited in the winery. The pure fruit intensity and creamy textured weight promise an impressive finished wine. I’m looking forward to this upon release.

Tantalus Vineyards Riesling 2012, BC VQA Okanagan Valley. $22.90 12.3%

Another fantastic example of vintage-driven wines, the 2012 Riesling has a beautiful concentration of pear, lime blossom and their characteristic quenching lime acidity. This year a touch of the tropics adds an additional dimension and amps up the palate plumpness. Delish. As viticulturalist Warwick Shaw put it, “It’s Riesling. Don’t get too cute with it.”

For more information on BC’s wine regions visit BC Wine Institute – www.winebc.org

Wines in High Places

Higher altitude wines are associated with intensity and elegance. Both are qualities that Michelle Bouffard and Michaela Morris admire.

What’s not to like about soft, fruit-driven wines? Blessed with warm climates, regions like Argentina, Australia and California have become known for this approachable, easy-drinking style. But as wine drinkers’ tastes evolve, these regions are anxious to demonstrate that they are also capable of producing more structured, elegant wines with a noticeable refreshment value. Producers are looking beyond their warm valleys to cooler areas with more extreme conditions. For many, increasing altitude is the answer. On average, temperatures drop about 0.6°C per one hundred metres of altitude. The results are intriguing.

Argentina is the poster child for high altitude winemaking. Vineyards in Mendoza start at 600 metres above sea level with the best sites sitting hundreds of metres above this. Nicolas Catena of Catena Wines was at the forefront of high-altitude viticulture. In the 1980s, he was convinced this was the only way to increase wine quality. He experimented by planting Chardonnay and Malbec at a dizzying 1,500 metres despite skeptic colleagues who counselled him that the grapes would never ripen properly. Catena proved them wonderfully wrong and since then many have followed his lead.

During a trip to Argentina, we attended “altitude school” at Catena Wines. The team explained that besides the drop in temperature, the air thins and the sun becomes more intense the higher you plant. The grapes develop thicker skins to protect themselves from the sun. Although the resulting tannin levels are high, the quality is rich and velvety rather than bitter and astringent. Additionally, cool nighttime temperatures preserve the acidity and freshness, giving a broader spectrum of aromas and flavours. To demonstrate their point, they presented us with a number of Malbecs from a range of altitudes. The higher the altitude, the more interesting the wine became, with the highest sites displaying elegance, impressive complexity and a charming floral quality.

We continued our altitude investigation in Mendoza’s Uco Valley. Vineyards in the Tupungato sub-region are planted as high as 1,200 metres. Daytime temperatures were well into the thirties, but as soon as the sun disappeared, it became decidedly fresh. The dramatic temperature difference between day and night gives the grapes relief from the heat and contributes to the unique quality of wines from the Uco Valley. Vibrant Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, as well as Cabernet Sauvignons and Malbecs akin to Bordeaux, are all produced here.

One of the most exciting regions in Argentina lies in the northern province of Salta. Some of the highest vineyards in the world are located around Cafayate in the Calchaquíes Valley. Grapes are planted at 1,500-2,000 metre. Torrontés, Argentina’s flagship white, thrives at these elevations. It benefits from cooler sites where ripening is delayed, producing aromatic wines with great acidity and explosive orange, grapey and marmalade flavours. Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec have a great future in Salta with distinctive intensity and lift.

Our fascination with higher altitudes goes way back. Early in our wine career, we visited Napa Valley, but instead of focusing on the famous estates of the main drag, we planned our trip around more remote hillsides properties. We wanted to understand how these mountain wines differed from the opulent, soft-textured examples the valley floor offered. Whether from Spring Mountain, Mount Veeder or Howell Mountain, passionate producers were all adamant that fruit from the hillsides has more structure and acidity. Most of the vineyards sit above the fog that rolls in from the Pacific Ocean with the grapes benefitting from the intense California sun from morning to sundown. But heat is tempered by cool mountain breezes and, in some areas, chilly night temperatures. The combination of altitude and poorer soils found at these elevations results in vines that are naturally less prolific, yielding smaller grapes with thicker skin. The wines are generally more reserved and some are even austere in their youth. Dunn Vineyards’ Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain

is the quintessential example, needing time to reveals its best. Hess’s Mount Veeder Cab is more approachable but equally intriguing.

terroir — by Michelle Bouffard and Michaela Morris

Farm Estate WinesWood Fired Oven

We grow, harvest and prepare... you experience it.

9100 East Saanich Road at McTavish Bistro 250-655-0009 Bakery 250-655-0075

FARM WINERY AND BISTRO

Australia’s friendly, fruit-laden Shirazes have enjoyed tremendous success. However, as popularity wanes, Australia is keen to introduce a different style as well as a range of grapes. Producers are championing higher sites in Yarra Valley, Adelaide Hills, Clare Valley, Canberra and the Strathbogie Ranges. The trend is to blend wines from warmer sites with fruit from higher altitudes or to make wines exclusively from hillsides. Penfold’s flagship white, Yattarna, is a great example of this. Grapes from cooler sites go into making one of Australia’s best Chardonnay, and the provenance of fruit for Yattarna varies each vintage. When we last sat down with Peter Gago, chief winemaker at Penfolds, he spoke about an area called Tumbarumba (300-800 metres) as one of his sources. Apparently, snow covers the surrounding mountains year round. Frost is a constant threat and grapes struggle to ripen. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Tumbarumba are prized for sparkling wine production, but when ripe enough they find their way into still wine. They give focus, purity and amazing backbone. Meet the “new” Australia.

The concept of altitude isn’t new. Europe has plenty of long established regions at higher altitudes. The Greeks, Romans and early monks all sought higher ground and understood the impact on quality. We have always been drawn to extremes, and our obsession with higher altitude vineyards led us to the region of Campania last May. After braving the treacherous drive from Rome to the Amalfi coast, we headed upward and inland. Here the red Aglianico grape is planted on volcanic hills harnessing the abundant sunshine. The best examples are delineated with mouth-watering acidity. Firm, noble and elegant, Aglianico requires the long, slow ripening environment that the higher elevation provides in order for its tannin to fully ripen. Born lucky, it has the genes to age. With time, beautiful flavours of tar and plum evolved into earthy, sweet tobacco and exotic leather notes.

Higher altitude wines are associated with intensity and elegance. Both are qualities we admire. We are also fans of wine with our meals and offerings from heady heights possess a refreshing quality that incites hunger and a structure that makes them foodfriendly. A glass of wine is so much better with food. Or is it that food is so much better with a glass of wine….

Tasting Notes

Whites

2012 Susana Balbo ‘Crios’ Torrontés, Argentina $17-19 (SKU #769125)

Fresh lime zest and orange blossom aromas with zesty penetrating grapefruit. A great match with Thai food.

2011 Fowles Wine ‘Ladies who Shoot their Lunch’ Wild Ferment Chardonnay, Strathbogie Ranges, Australia $45-50*

Ripe peaches and melon with preserved lemon and refreshing acid. Integrated oak and toasted nuts on finish. Enjoy with chicken and mushroom fricassee.

2011 Grosset ‘Polish Hill’ Riesling, Clare Valley, Australia $50* (Marquis exclusive) Austere in its youth but intense and concentrated. Lime, mineral and a steely backbone. Will blossom with age. Or drink now with spot prawns.

Reds

2008 Canta Perdices, Ribera del Duero DO, Spain $15-17 (SKU #16733)

Tempranillo from Spain’s high altitude Ribera del Duero region. Full-bodied and characterful with cassis, leather and meaty notes. Throwing hamburgers on the barbecue?

2010 Amalaya, Calchaquíes Valley, Salta, Argentina $20-23 (SKU #168294)

Malbec with some Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tannat. Black salted licorice, wild cherries and lifted floral notes. Steak is a must.

2008 Elena Fucci, ‘Titolo’ Aglianico del Vulture DOCG, Italy $65-72 (SKU #392902)

From the remote mountainous province of Basilicata. Black plum, smoky incense, anise and crushed lava stone. Dense tannins demand roasted leg of lamb.

2008 Hess Collection, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mount Veeder, California $68-75*

Black currant, pepper and cedar notes. Supple texture yet firmly structured. Definitely a Napa mountain Cab. Perfect for Sunday roast beef dinner.

2008 Bodegas Catena Zapata, ‘Adrianna’ Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina $125-135*

From Catena’s highest altitude vineyard (approx. 1,500 metres). Elegant violet, blackberry, dried wild herbs and chocolate. Gentle grip of tannins. Stunning!

DRINKING Guide: How to use our purchasing information.

*Asterisks denote wines that are only available at the winery or select private liquor stores. Some may be in limited quantities. All other wines are available through BC Liquor Stores. Prices may vary.

What to drink with that!

DRINK editor Treve Ring asks local wine experts how they would approach pairing dishes and flavours.

THIS MONTH’S EXPERTS

Brooke Delves (BD) Sommelier, Wildebeest

Recognized as one of the Vancouver’s foremost hospitality and wine professionals, Brooke Delves first discovered her passion for the restaurant world at a young age, while helping out at her mother’s café. She then spent a number of years studying the art of service and worked her way up to management positions in several Vancouver hotspots. After completing her certificate levels with the International Sommelier Guild, she worked at wine-savvy Salt Tasting Room as assistant manager for two and a half years before managing the wine program, staff education, and service at celebrated Thai restaurant Maenam.

In 2012, Brooke was named to the Premier Crew at the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, which recognizes outstanding service in the industry. At Wildebeest, Brooke directs and curates an impressive wine program dedicated to highlighting small and unique producers for the restaurant and its wine bar, The Underbelly.

Mark Davidson (MD) Education Director for Wine Australia

Born in London, raised in Sydney Mark has over twenty five years experience in the hotel and restaurant business, fifteen of those as a Sommelier. In 1990 Mark was named Best French Wine and Spirit Sommelier in British Columbia and in 2001 he was name Sommelier of the Year by the British Columbia Restaurant and Food Service Association. As a Department Head and instructor with the International Sommelier Guild he was instrumental in the on going development of the curriculum and has taught classes in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas. In 2012 he passed the tasting portion of the Master of Wine program and will be sitting the theory section in June 2013

Brenda Sopow (BS) Product Consultant, Fort Street Signature Store

BCLDB

Brenda’s love affair with wine started in earnest when she arrived in Victoria in 1986 and began working with the BCLDB. There, she discovered others who were passionate about wine and joined a small but very exuberant club called the WineSwines, later becoming the Victoria Wine Society. In 1997, she moved into the position as Product Consultant at what is now the Fort Street Signature Liquor Store. There, she completed WSET Level 3 (with distinction), and recently, the French Wine Scholar program. Many years of bringing customers and wine together make up her informal, yet valuable experience.

Modern Mexican

Yucatan Pork: Achiote pork slow roasted in banana leaves with caramelized onion, orange, cinnamon, honey lime yams, caramelized brussels sprouts, pineapple jicama salsa

BD. Aged white Rioja! I may be playing favorites but I can't help myself when it comes to the rich and oxidative style of this wine. It lifts the aromatics of the cumin and coriander in the achiote and makes ANYTHING caramelized really sing. It's exotic and built for food with a nose of smoked apricot and pineapple with all those delicious nutty undertones. This Viura, Malvasia blend plays in tandem to every aspect of this dish.

MD. Rheingau or Pfalz Riesling. Halb-trocken. While this dish has lovely savory elements from the slow roasted nature of the pork there’s some serious sweet too. I want the wine to have lively fruit to match those elements , crisp acidity to echo the citrus components and enough weight to not be over powered, hence the halb-trocken style. Schmeckt Gut……

BS. There are earthy notes as well as savory and warm spice in the achiote, so thinking about them makes me want to recommend a lighter bodied old world wine like a Rioja crianza to reflect that. It should have youthful fruit, bright acidity and not much oak, allowing it to get along with the other flavours in the dish. Otherwise I might focus on the richness of the pork and the caramelized onion with the citrus and tropical fruit. An off-dry white such as a Chenin Blanc from the Loire or Alsatian Pinot Gris should be weighty and acidic enough as counterpoint. My choice of red or white would reflect the season and the time of day.

Traditional Mexican

Carnitas Pork Burrito: Pork butt, garlic, onions, avocado, jalapeño, tortilla

BD. Definitely something bright and pretty and light on its feet like Vouvray Sec. These lovely whites from the Loire typically show a slightly honeyed green apple and citrus which is great with pork and jalapeño. These dry style Chenin Blancs also have the acidity to help balance the richness of the avocado.

MD. Australian Grenache. This is a fantastic lunch type dish with lots of big flavours and some heat. Ripe fruit is needed here but you don’t want heavy tannin. The concentration and supple nature of quality Barossa or McLaren Vale Grenache is just begging for a match like this. So, roll up your sleeves, pour a tumbler of Grenache and revel in the messy faced grin that this combination will inspire.

BS. I think a supple, medium to full bodied red, with generous fruit and soft tannins is needed here for the pork and garlic. A Chilean Carmenere would be my first choice, followed by a new world Merlot (like California), as long as it’s not too heavy on the wood. A juicy Argentine Malbec would go do down nicely too. I would be looking for full flavour here and good acidity levels, but would avoid excessive tannic grip! If there is a lot of heat in the dish I would watch for high alcohol in the wine as it can amplify that heat.

The Buzz

VICTORIA: It’s time for another round of Victoria’s musical chefs. Up at The Westin Bear Mountain Victoria native Mark Wadsworth is their new Executive Chef. Mark has worked at the world famous Grosvenor House – a JW Marriot Hotel in London, and with some of BC’s finest including the Westin Whistler Resort and most recently the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver.

At Oak Bay Beach Hotel owner Kevin Walker and Hotel Manager Michelle Le Sage announced that Iain Rennie was joining the hotel as executive chef, and bringing with him his sous chef of more than seven years, Josh Houston. Walker stated that they “underestimated the overwhelming demand on (their) food and beverage outlets and team, and had the opportunity to bring in an executive chef who had the experience to manage a hotel with so many food and beverage options for its guests, while managing a team that can deliver the best possible dining experience.” If you have any interest in molecular gastronomy, chef Rennie is definitely our local expert. A look at the new hotel dining room menu shows dishes - like Qualicum Bay Scallops served with a saffron shellfish foam, or Local Sooke Trout with a lobster emulsion - that pay homage to modern cuisine while showcasing the best of our local ingredients. (www.oakbaybeachhotel.com).

At the end of March, we heard that chef Robin Jackson had left the Sooke Harbour House and joined The Superior, which had been hosting a supper club with guest chefs throughout the winter. Chef Jackson says he is “thrilled to be able to be a part of such a vibrant team and to feature fun food from our lush forests, farms and seascapes.” (No word yet on a new executive chef over at SHH.) In early April, the Magnolia Hotel launched Catalano Restaurant and Cicchetti Bar under the guidance of local restaurateur Tom Ferris, and with chef Aaron Lawrence creating Mediterranean inspired dishes with locally sourced, fresh ingredients in the kitchen. (www.catalanorestaurant.com) The new chef at Canoe Brewpub is Gabe Milne, formerly of Ciopinno’s in Vancouver. (www.canoebrewpub.com)

Festival goers who were disappointed to hear that the Island Chef’s Collaborative would be taking a year off from organizing their Local Food Fest (Defending Our Backyard) will be excited to hear about their plans to host another kind of festival this spring, together with Cowichan Bay Seafood, Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub, Bayview Properties and many other local restaurants and seafood suppliers. On May 25 and 26, Vic West will be the home of the first annual Victoria Spot Prawn Festival. Held in and around the historic Roundhouse at Bayview Place, the festival will kick off with a long table dinner with the Island Chefs' Collaborative on Saturday, May 25, featuring six seafood courses each prepared by a different ICC chef. Tickets are $150 each and will be available at Vintage Spirits in the Rialto Hotel and Cook Culture. The main event will take place on Sunday, May 26 from 11 am - 5 pm. This free celebration of local seafood and sustainable food choices combines learning opportunities with eating opportunities to tangibly show the importance of local food and supporting local food producers. Attendees will be able to find out more about spot prawns and how sustainable seafood is harvested from local suppliers. Cooking demonstrations by local restaurant chefs will provide some inspiration for cooking a variety of seafood, and a number of local restaurants will also be set up as food vendors. Fresh caught seafood, including live, wild spot prawns will be available for purchase. The day will also feature artisans and crafters, musical performances, and kids activities. Visit the ICC’s Facebook page for info and updates. (www.facebook.com/islandchefs)

Other festivals to look forward to in the next two months include the V.I.C. Fest, held at St. Ann’s Acad-

emy June 21-22 (www.vicfest.ca), and Fernwood Bites on June 23 (www.fernwoodnrg.ca).

Aubergine Specialty Foods in Fernwood has partnered with Vancouver-based Serengeti Outlet Stores, becoming the sixth store in their group, “proudly selling the best items from South Africa”. Aubergine remains an independent grocery store. (www.auberginefoods.ca) And don’t forget to look out for chef Naotatsu Ito ’s new Daidoco food truck at the Moss St. Market early this summer. (www.facebook.com/daidoco) —Rebecca

Baugniet

COWICHAN VALLEY: Our mothers deserve thanks every day of the year, but Mother’s Day is a time when they need some extra pampering. Mothers Day this year falls on Sunday, May 12th, and there are several events around the Valley that are perfect ways to celebrate mom. Amusé on the Vineyard will be offering a Mother’s Day brunch and a tea service, featuring a range of desserts and pastries (www. amuseonthevineyard.com; 250-743-3667). Some other places for a great Mother’s Day brunch include Merridale Ciderworks (www.merridalecider.com; 250-743-4293) and Genoa Bay Café, whose menu includes heavenly brie-stuffed French toast (www.genoabaycafe.com; 250-746-7621).

Islanders can now enjoy a little southern comfort, right here in the Cowichan Valley. The Old Fork, recently opened in the bottom of the Silverbridge Travelodge, is serving up a range of from scratch southern favorites. Don’t let the location throw you, the owners have done an amazing job renovating the space with funky rustic-industrial décor that features exposed wood, tin siding, and a vintage Wonderbread sign. The menu features a range of delicious southern indulgences, including fried chicken with waffles, BC snapper po’ boys, hush puppies, biscuits, and house smoked pulled pork (www.theoldfork.com; 250-7484311).

June marks the start of summer, and that means vegetable gardens all over the Valley are going into overdrive. If you don’t have much of a green thumb, but still want to enjoy a range of fresh local fruits and veggies all summer long, consider subscribing to a weekly delivery service such as Makaria Farm’s Vegetable Share CSA Program. Your 21 week subscription is a form of Community Supported Agriculture that will provide you with weekly baskets of organic local produce from June to November, while supporting local sustainable farming (www.makariafarm.com; 250-597-3276).

For any dedicated sea-food lover, the most exciting event in May is the start of spot prawn season! These prized crustaceans are only in season for 6-8 weeks, so make the most of it while they’re in season. The best way to celebrate is by heading down to the 5th Annual Cowichan Bay Spot Prawn Festival on May 19th. Last year’s festival featured a range of activities and tastings, including cooking demos, live music, and a prawn and wine pairing event (www.prawnfest.ca).

As many of you may be aware, the Cowichan Valley’s very own chef Dan Hudson was selected as a contestant for this spring’s season of Top Chef Canada. Although results of the competition are unknown at the time of publication, it is certainly a commendable achievement to be selected as a contestant. If you still haven’t yet checked out this new local celebrity’s recently opened restaurant, Hudson’s on First, now is your chance! (www.hudsonsonfirst.ca; 250-597-0066) —Lindsay Muir

Cont’d on the next page

WHO’S DOING WHAT IN VICTORIA, VANCOUVER, THE OKANAGAN, TOFINO, THE COWICHAN & NANAIMO

TOFINO: At the moment the focus here is on Feast Tofino, the month-long culinary festival that’s in its third year on the coast. This is a great time to visit for foodies, who can choose from a full slate of events running all month long, including special dine-around menus at local restaurants, guest chef dinners and events, beachside barbecues, accommodation packages, and more. The central event is a dockside festival scheduled for Saturday, May 25, with tastings and preparation demonstrations all set the music of local bluegrass band The Poor Pistols. For more information, see the full article on page 8, and visit www.feastbc.com Finally, Tofino gets its own oyster bar! We are all looking forward to the move and expansion of Lutz Zilliken’s Fish Store into The Fish Store and Oyster Bar in the Shore building at 368 Main St. Lutz already provides fresh and smoked seafood, and packaging options, and will continue to offer the same out of his new location. He’s adding a new element with a 22-seat (six of which are located on an outside patio) oyster bar, the first of its kind in Tofino. The Fish Store and Oyster Bar will be the only distributor of the Clayoquot Climax oyster, a new variety of shucking oyster grown in Lemmens Inlet in Clayoquot Sound by local oyster farmer Jack Greig. In addition to fresh oysters, Lutz will have a tapas menu featuring only his own seafood, and a drink list. The longtime Tofino resident is hoping to attract a certain dining crowd: “I’m hoping to get the overflow from restaurants – while people are waiting for tables they can come in and have oysters and drinks.” 250-725-2264 westpacificseafoods@seaviewcable.net

Although not finalized at press time, there are rumours circulating around town about a nearly completed deal for the restaurant space located on the waterfront of the Shore building, a 6,500 square foot unit that has been empty since the mixed commercial and residential building was completed in 2011. Watch the next issue for news of what is happening in this space.

The Tofino Community Food Initiative and Clayoquot Biosphere Trust hosted the 1st annual Seedy Saturday on March 30. Attended by seed, transplant and produce vendors from around Vancouver Island, the event was an opportunity for gardeners to give away, sell and trade seeds, seedlings, fruit tree and berry starts. There were also workshops on growing food locally and composting. Master organic gardener Connie Kuramoto was on hand to answer questions at this free event. It’s great to see west coasters coming together and sharing their gardening knowledge for this unique climate. In addition to the work of the TCFI, the CBT has made Healthy Communities one of its key priorities, with a focus on the local food supply. Visit here to read more about how this non-profit organization is focusing on food on the west coast. www.tofinofood.blogspot.ca www.clayoquotbiosphere.org

Some familiar local faces were on the Food Network’s show Pitchin In with chef Lynn Crawford. Chef Crawford visited a Creative Salmon salmon farm, where she explored a day in the life of a salmon farmer with Moe Meikle, Ian Francis and Tim Rundle. She also had the chance to prepare a traditional cedar cooked salmon with local Tla-o-qui-aht canoe carver Joe Martin —Jen Dart

Cont’d on the next page

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Butcher ... A Cut Above

Quality meats, Poultry, Cheeses, Specialty Products & Condiments

NANAIMO & UP ISLAND: Rice + laughter = RISO; Sarah Wallbanks’ excellent new Italian restaurant in Lantzville. Sarah graduated from VCC with a firm foundation in all things flour (in addition to exceptional cooking skills). She staged at CinCin and C before being instrumental in opening Mon Petit Choux in Nanaimo. When you walk into Riso the first thing you see are crusty golden loves of bread, then the warm scent of yeast and fruity tomato hits as pizzas bubble tantalizingly in the brick Forno oven. But there is much more to Riso than bread and pizza; fried Effingham oysters, buttery inside, a roasted parsnip soup so silky it was like eating a parfait, and an espresso Affogato with house made hazelnut gelato, sublime in its nuttiness. The word is out so be sure to make a reso at Riso! www.risofoodsinc.com

A number of restaurants have tried to make a go of it at the old Driftwood location in Nanaimo and failed, but I have hope the newly opened Extraordinary Organics with chef Jade Casady in the kitchen will stand the test of time. The 99% organic menu bursts with clean Asian flavours - from the wild calamari quickly sautéed, to the Malaysian spiced beef burger with its hit of heat and over the top gluten free lava cake made with coconut flour – as Jade explained - she puts her love into the food, and it shows. 250-591-6078

592-0823

A few years ago, the Cowichan Valley was the ground breaker for eat/grow/source local; a hub for producers such as Hillary’s Cheese and Merridale Cider who pioneered the movement. It seems they’ve passed the hoe to the Comox Valley where many passionate purveyors are emerging, as I found after an amazing tour of the region courtesy of Geatane Palardy at Island Gourmet Trails and Karma Brophy of Feast Concierge

On a beautiful Saturday, we visited the diverse Comox Valley Farmers Market, the spectacular Shelter Point Distillery where they produce Canadian rye from their Hidden Plateau aquifer and Prontissima Pasta. Pick up fresh, wholesome pasta and pair it with Tria’s homemade sauce for a takehome dinner ready in 10 minutes. At Blue Moon Estate Winery, we sampled award winning fruit wines - from bright, Moon Beam pear to the intense purple of the Dark Side blackberry dessert wine. We finished the day at chef Ronald St Pierres’ (formerly of the Kingfisher Resort) restaurant Local’s where some of the day’s products were artfully presented in his dishes. (Incidentally, find Local’s at its new location in The Old House starting in May.)

For someone already acquainted with what’s available in the valley, it was an eye opener to find so many unexplored gems. One last one, the B.C. Shellfish Festival Dinner is Friday June 14th. Get your tickets early as some of the best chefs around will be cooking their hearts out. And be sure to head to the marina for the chowder competition the next day. For information on the above: www.islandgourmettrails.ca www.feastconcierge.ca www.prontissimapasta.com www.bluemoonwinery.ca www.shelterpointdistilery.com www.localscomoxvalley.com www.comoxvalleyfarmersmarket.com www.bcshellfishfestival.ca Kirsten Tyler

VANCOUVER: Street food lovers rejoice…May means the night market season has arrived and the fun starts on May 17 at the Vancouver Chinatown Night Market (www.vancouverchinatownnightmarket.com) and the 13th annual Richmond Night Market (www.richmondnightmarket.com); and on May 10 at the International Summer Night Market (www.summernightmarket.com), also in Richmond. Get ready for tornado potatoes and pan-Asian street eats galore.

On the restaurant front…Although the short-named (and short-lived) Fray has sadly closed, Fraser Street residents can rejoice at the news that Graze (no website) will be filling the space at 3980 Fraser with its plant-based (read vegan) comfort menu. Kitchen will be run by chef Karen McAthy, formerly of W2 Media Café. Opening slated for early May.

Mark Brand is expanding his Gastown holdings with the soon-to-open No. 1 Noodle House (www.no1noodlehouse.ca). Think lots of ramen, udon, dumplings, chicken wings, banh mi and bao buns—all available until one a.m. on weeknights and four a.m. on Friday/Saturday. The restaurant will be a seven-month pop-up to start, so go while the going is got.

Maenam’s owner/chef Angus An is opening Longtail Kitchen (Twitter @longtailkitchen) at New Westminster’s River Market. Inspired by its Fraser River setting, the new casual eatery will feature Thai-style street food with a seafood bent. A retail section will offer An’s signature curry sauces, spices, cookbooks and cookware. Opening sometime in May.

Beervolution hits Vancouver…It seems that craft beer is the latest rage on the hooch scene and Vancouver is “hopping” (pardon the pun) with soon-to-be or just-open micro- and nano-breweries (yes, the latter is an actual term). In addition to 33 Acres (www.33acresbrewing.com ), Main Street Brewing (no website), Parallel 49 Brewing (www.parallel49brewing.com ) and Brassneck Brewery (www.brassneck.ca ) in Mount Pleasant, Bridge Brewing (www.bridgebrewing.com ), Vancouver’s first nano-brewery (they make North Shore Pale Ale—and that’s all) is now open on the North Shore. Stay tuned for another handful to open throughout 2013.

For those who’d like some grub with their growlers, Portland Craft (www.portlandcraft.com) has opened at 3835 Main Street, featuring over 15 rotating craft (and rare) brews on tap, plus a healthy selection of Portland hops, not to mention almost a dozen quality bourbons that you can pick and choose

2577 Cadboro Bay Road, VICTORIA

from for a tasting flight. The food is smart and comfortable, like the hefeweizen beer-battered rainbow trout, spot prawn and cheddar grits, and hop-fried buttermilk organic chicken.

In Gastown, Mark Brand’s Portside (www.theportsidepub.com ) is already open, with “24 craft brews pumped through 48 taps over three floors.” Beers will range from locals like Victoria’s Phillips Brewery to Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel and other international hop stars. Did we also mention there’s live music?

But it ain’t all about the beer… Long Table Distillery (www.longtabledistillery.com ) is Vancouver’s first micro-distillery, producing artisan gin, vodka and seasonal small-batch spirits (think limoncello, brandy, etc.). Located at 1451 Hornby Street (a stone’s throw from Yaletown), tastings are available with no reservations on Fridays and Saturdays only.

And in other spirited news… The Dalmore Distillery (www.thedalmore.com) has launched some of the world’s rarest single malts at the BCLDB’s flagship store at Cambie Street and West 39 Avenue. The Constellation Collection includes the brand’s best whiskies from 1966 to 1992. Ranging in price from $3,500 to almost $33,000 per bottle, these might be a wee bit much for a typical hostess gift. —

Anya Levykh

OKANAGAN VALLEY: The Okanagan is a buzz with new restaurant openings. Kelowna has a delightful new Italian restaurant, Casa Sasso, located in the heart of downtown, at 426 Bernard Avenue.

Chef Gabriella Sassa grew up in Rome and specializes in cuisine from the Rome and Naples regions of Italy. Manteo Resort has unveiled their new restaurant Smack Dab and eagerly awaits the grand opening of their water-front patio on the May long week-end.

Chef Paul Cecconi has left Summerland’s Local Lounge & Grill to excitedly open his own restaurant, Brodo in downtown Penticton. Brodo meaning ‘broth’ in Italian will be a casual licensed eatery, specializing in handmade soups, sandwiches and salads using the best of local ingredients. Brodo’s much anticipated opening is scheduled for the end of May. (www.tastebrodo.com) Located inside the Cannery Trade Centre, Walla Artisan Bakery and winner of Exceptional EATS! best place for lunch has completed their renovations. A charming tiny café seating area has been added in addition to the hall-side tables. The Naramata Heritage Inn has changed hands and new owners, Julius and Toni Bloomfield have made some exciting changes. The Bloomsfield’s have renovated the main floor of the inn to unveil a second restaurant, the End of the

Road Bistro opening on Mother’s Day. The End of the Road Bistro will focus on family dining. The well-loved Cobblestone Wine Bar will also reveal a new menu in May. Executive Chef Thomas Render will oversee both restaurants and the emphasis will be on the 100 Mile diet.

The Spring Okanagan Wine Festival runs from May 2nd to May 12 with special events and winemaker’s dinners thru-out the valley. Highlights include: Spring Fling at Burrowing Owl Estate Winery ▪ Eat’em to Beat’em Oceanwise Dinner at Hillside Bistro▪ Kelowna’s FAB five wineries’ complimentary amuse bouche & wine tasting selfguided tour ▪ Wild Goose Winery ’s BBQ party ▪ Rollingdale Winery and Royal Astronomical Society of Canada evening of stars and wine ▪ Okanagan Spirits five course cocktail dinner with Waterfront Wine Bar ▪ Hester Creek Winery’s Grazing Evening ▪ Red,White and Blues music at Cove Lakeside Resort with Westside Wineries ▪ Dirty Laundry’s Lobster dinner ▪ and the Food Rave at Ex Nihilo Vineyards. See website for details, dates and prices: www.thewinefesivals.com

Jennifer Schell author of the The Butcher, The Baker, The Wine and Cheese Maker , an Okanagan cookbook along with the Rotary Centre of Arts presents three evenings of guest speakers and panel discussions on the food of the Okanagan. On May 27th – Local Farmers June 3rd - Local Champions and June 10th - Local Food. Guest speakers include John Alcock from Sunshine Farms, Sara Harker from Harkers Organics,Helen Kennedy of Arlos Honey, Richard Yntema from North Okanagan Game Meats, Jon Crofts from Codfathers Seafood Market , Geoffrey Couper from Okanagan College, Monika Walker from Okanagan Grocery Artisan Breads and Aman Dosanj from Poppadoms Indian Restaurant. Following each evening panel discussion will be a wine reception. Tix: $15.00 inclusive per discussion. See website for details: www.anokanagancookbook.com On Saturday, June 15th, the Rotary Centre of Arts presents their signature fund-raising event, Wine, Art and Music. Okanagan chefs featured in Jennifer Schell’s An Okanagan Cookbook will provide the food stations along with awardwinning wines and artists. Tickets: $89.00 www.rotarycentreforthearts.com

Finally spot prawns return to the Okanagan for the 3rd Annual Spot Prawn Festival. This year the signature event takes place on Sunday, June 2nd from 1pm -3pm at Manteo Resort with over 10 Okanagan Chefs participating to highlight this delectable BC treat. www.okspotprawnfestival.com Claire Sear

Haute Cuisine Cookware

Last winter Cook Culture sold raffle tickets to raise funds and awareness for the good work the ICC performs. Winners of the draw can be found on the Cook Culture website at www. cookculture.com/icc-fundraising-raffle

Tofino Food and Wine Festival

After a decade of successful events, the Tofino Food and Wine Festival is now entering its 11th year! Organizer Kira Rogers is looking forward to a new decade of celebrating wine and food in the rainforest setting of the Tofino Botanical Gardens. This year, the festival runs from June 7-9th. The main event as always is Grazing in the Gardens on Sat. June 8th from 1-4pm. Spend the afternoon sampling canapes, cheese and oysters while sampling wine, beer and cider, all from BC producers. Proceeds from a silent auction go towards the Wickaninnish Community School's Garden Revitalization Project. Visit www.tofinofoodandwinefestival.com for details of additional events. EAT is again pround to be a sponsor. —JD

Winner Announced in Island Chef’s Collaborative 2012 Winter Fundraiser

On December 27th, 2012 Jed Grieve, owner of Cook Culture in Victoria, presented Tara Black, Treasurer of the Island Chefs Collaborative, a cheque for $1,791.00.

1715GovernmentStreet

250.475.6260

www.lecole.ca

eat@lecole.ca

Dinner5:30-11pm

TuesdaytoSaturday

Shop Talk

Al and Diana Brooks, Chef’s Edge, Kelowna, BC (250) 868-2425

We have a great new product in the store, and our customers are as enthusiastic about them as we are. They are Charles Viancin’s new silicone lids. Easy to use, attractive and extremely practical, they are freezer, microwave and oven safe. They provide a tight, waterproof seal on any smooth rims: stainless steel, plastic, glass, and melamine. Just think of the savings on plastic wrap! We have them in the shape of lily pads for bowls and other round vessels, as well as square and rectangular banana leaves for larger casseroles and baking dishes. And, just in time for summer, we are expecting delivery of glass covers, to keep the pesky bees and fruit flies out of your wine. And you certainly can’t deny the cute factor! $9.99 - $24.99

Dave Werner, Cookworks, Vancouver, BC 1.877.662.4917

Spring is in the air and it smells like lemons! The Lekue Citrus Sprayers have impressed the entire Cookworks team with their easy-to-use design and versatility. Select a citrus and the appropriate sized nozzle. Gently twist the nozzle down into the fruit until the cap rests comfortably. Then go ahead and spritz! A quick team chat revealed endless options: salad dressing, iced tea, avocados, roasted potatoes, fish, even lamb chops fresh off the barbeque. Once flavouring needs are met, pop the fruit in the fridge for later- a handy storage disk is provided. $20

Stephanie Clark,

Haute Cuisine Cookware, Victoria, BC 250-388-9906

These are the three top reasons why Westmark’s Spiromat spiral cutter is the best new kitchen product. 1) It is the perfect tool for raw food enthusiasts. 2) It’s a fun way to get kids (and adults) to eat more veggies. 3) It is a great garnishing tool. The set includes three interchangeable stainless steel blades that can create long thin or thick vegetable spaghetti and spiral slices, from carrots, beets, zucchini, potatoes, yams, cucumber etc.

It is made in Germany and comes with a 2-year guarantee. $79.95

Mark Puttick, Knifewear, Kelowna, BC, (778) 478-0331

One tool that has impressed me recently is the Microplane citrus bar tool – it is a zester, garnish blade and bottle opener in one. It is stainless steel and is made in the US. It effortlessly grates and zests citrus fruit, has a built-in garnishing blade to create cool accents and has a bottle opener for all the beer I drink while garnishing cocktails ;) It has a sleek low-profile design to fit easily in a drawer or your pocket and has rubber edges for a nice finish. $30.

For this issue, we asked Kitchen Shop owners to tell us about their favourite new kitchen tool.

Jenny Ford, Cooks Nook, Nanaimo, BC (250) 760-1017

The Mastrad TopChips is a great new product. It is a microwavable potato chip maker. The kit comes with a chip maker baking tray and a mandoline to slice your potatoes. Put the medallions on the tray in the microwave and in two minutes you have fat-free potato chips. You can also do sliced fruit and different vegetables, add your own seasoning. It’s a good way to control the fat and preservatives that are added to readymade treats. $24.99

Jed Grieve, Cook Culture, Victoria, BC (250) 590-8161

The most exciting and popular new product we have right now is the Hurom Slow Juicer. Hurom was the original inventor of this style of juicer, based out of South Korea. It is slow RPM (revolutions per minute) juicing, which means you end up with way more nutrients in your glass. There is no enzyme breakdown in the fruits and vegetables used. It can make nut milks as well. It uses an auger to pull in the solids and crush them – the same process used for grapes to make wine. It is super quiet to run and easy to clean. $360

Michelle Penna, Penna & Co. (250) 727-2110

At Penna & Co. we carry various different julienne slicers, but the most popular is the Benriner Spiralizer. Made in Japan, this green, fibreglass unit comes with three different metal blades that allow you to make three sizes of raw vegetable noodles. Great for raw food enthusiasts, or anyone who loves making impressive garnishes. This one even lets you make a one hundred foot veggie noodle! This is the fastest way to julienne and is incredibly easy to use. $89.99

Holmes and Gunawan: Chefs Collaborate

ON APRIL 7th ULLA RESTAURANT’S CHEF BRAD HOLMES joined forces with chef David Gunawan ( Chicago’s Les Nomades, West Belgium’s In de Wulf, Denmark’s Relae and Dragsholme, Vancouver’s Wildebeest, Che Baba) to present a 6-course dinner of alternating courses. With a mutual dedication and passion for contemporary cooking styles and locally sourced ingredients, the two collaborated on the menu for weeks.

Of the six courses, the two mains that stood out for me were David Gunawan’s halibut and Brad Holmes’ beef. The fresh halibut was seared then poached in olive and hazelnut oil served with pickled tapioca pearls with a whey, buttermilk and mussel stock sauce and dill oil and topped with sea asparagus. The halibut was rich and sumptuous and the tapioca in the whey added texture. The bright, crunchy asparagus played well against the smooth textures of the rest of the dish.

Brad Holmes’ beef was served with a stinging nettle puree, grilled maitake mushroom (a frilly Japanese mushroom) marinated in balsamic, cottage cheese dumplings, a 48-hour braised shortrib, black garlic jus and cured, smoked and dried beef heart shaved over the plate. The beef was cooked perfectly and room went fairly silent at this point. The unusual presence of a cottage cheese dumpling gave the dish subtlety and the dried beef heart shavings were flecks of concentrated beef; smoky, salty—and wonderful.

In place of dessert, the two chefs presented petit fours that reflected the previous dishes. The halibut’s reincarnation was a delicious caramel made of whey and the beef’s was a chocolate truffle rolled in shaved smoked and dried beef heart shavings. Unusual to say the least.

Together chefs Holmes and Gunawan offered an elegant, beautiful, meticulously presented and delicious dinner. Everyone in attendance was impressed, if not moved by not only the flavors explored but also by the seamless way the two chefs’ dishes played and complimented one another .

Ulla plans to open for lunch Tuesday-Friday from mid-May.

— Gillie Easdon www.ulla.ca. 250-590-8795

Looking for tips on tea & food pairing or how to brew the perfect pot of tea? Need some fabulous tea mocktail or cocktail recipes? Visit our new online magazine at silkroadtea.com - your ultimate resource for tea recipe ideas.

1624 Government St. Victoria Chinatown silkroadtea.com

The menu from the collaboration dinner at Ulla

5cheFs to watCh

The Okanagan is full of outstanding chefs, each known for their unique styles and approaches to cuisine. There are the traditional favourites, the "rock star" favourites, the creative favourites. Here are five chefs who have taken their signatures to the next level, bringing in even more fans, whether through marketing, access, branding or a combination of all.

big fresH itAlian

Eating at Ricardo's Mediterranean Kitchen in Lake Country is like being invited to join a large, welcoming Italian family for a celebratory dinner. The namesake of the restaurant is Chef Ricardo Scebba, who has owned this popular eatery with his wife Sue Miller since 2001. Eat readers love it, in 2013 naming it "Best restaurant - cooking local." Chef Scebba's creations include lots of pastas, seafood and meat mains with a fresh and local spin, since as many ingredients as possible come from regional suppliers, even from the garden of his Italian parents, Connie and Joe Scebba, who you'll often see in the festive restaurant. Speaking of family, many of Ricardo's dishes are from his own heritage, including many created by his mother, and are featured in That's Amore, his bestselling cookbook published in 2011. Ricardo even has a TV show.

Ricardo's Mediterranean Kitchen, 415 Commonwealth Road, Kelowna, 250-766-6810, www.ricardos.ca

taking it to thE stReets

Chef Neal Schroeter's Okanagan Street Food was voted "Best new addition to the food and drink scene in the Okanagan" in 2011 and "best dish under $10" in 2013 by Eat Magazine and it's easy to know why. When you pop into Chef's cozy eatery in the Kelowna industrial district, you're in for a blissful surprise. Not only is the renowned and amiable Chef right there in person, right across the counter, but you'll encounter topnotch gourmet fare, all for the price of a typical lunch. The seared fish taco and pulled pork sandwich immediately come to mind, as well as candied salmon risotto fritters (chile and lemon grass dipping sauce) and amazing daily soups. Chef Schroeter and his team also make and sell entrees, stocks and sauces. You'll find Okanagan Street Foods at farmer's markets, special events, and for catering functions. This Red Seal chef worked crosscountry at notable restaurants for years, including overseeing food production at the Whistler Convention Center, and for seven years as Chef de Cuisine at the Cellar Door Bistro at Sumac Estate Winery in Summerland where he was known for his innovative dishes. He now belongs not just a restaurant, but with all of us. Okanagan Street Food, 812 Crowley Avenue, Kelowna, 778-478-0807, www.okanaganstreetfood.com

kiNg of locAl

Rod Butters comes to mind when many people think of a chef who focuses his food and beverage menu on produce and products from local suppliers. And if it's not precisely local, then it's meat from the Interior and seafood from the West Coast. With Audrey Surrao, he's the high-profile co-owner of RauDZ Regional Table in Kelowna. When you eat at the 21 foot long communal table in eclectic RauDZ, you're experiencing fine food and drink and you know exactly where it comes from--they let you know, from the greens to the beers on tap. His ingredient combinations are simple, but unusual, comfort food favourites taken to the next level. Poutine has the addition of chicket confit. Salad greens are graced by grilled pears and a Brie sandwich. Lamb sirloin is accompanied by sauteed gnocci, mushrooms and vegetables. Chef Butters's past positions and accolades are almost too numerous to list. Besides working with numerous high-profile hotels, he opened the highly esteemed Wickanninish Inn in Tofino, and Fresco Restaurant in Kelowna before RauDZ. Chef Butters was practicing regional cuisine long before it became fashionable to do so. No wonder Eat readers in 2013 named RauDZ restaurant of the year in the Okanagan. RauDZ Regional Table, 1560 Water Street, Kelowna, 250-8688805, www.raudz.com

ouTdoor abUndanCe

Instrumental in promoting the tradition of dining in the vineyard in the Okanagan, chefs Cameron Smith and Dana Ewart of Penticton's Joy Road Catering are involved in every aspect of promoting cuisine terroir here in the Valley. In addition to having a presence at the Penticton Farmer's Market, they cater to events ranging from gourmet picnics to weddings and are esteemed for their summer al fresco outdoor dinners at God's Mountain Estate in Penticton, which they have been doing for six years. Joy Road is known for its baking--including the Galette, a traditional French tart, filled with fresh Okanagan fruit. All of Smith and Ewart's menu items and products whenever possible make use of local produce and product. As for their outdoor dinners, they are inspired by whatever happens to be available. Both chefs, from Toronto, are highly trained, worked at many high-profile restaurants and then travelled the world before arriving in the Okanagan where they were inspired by the local bounty.

Joy Road Catering, Penticton, 250-493-8657, www.joyroadcatering.com

clockwise from top left: Cameron Smith and Dana Ewart, Neal Schroeter, Ricardo Scebba & Rod Butters