Vancouver Magazine Jan/Feb 2015

COMFORT FOOD

GLORIOUS GYOZA

TOP PICKS CHAMPAGNE

RED & WHITE SAKE & PORT (and icewine too)

AS CHOSEN

BY OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS

11

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RATED & REVIEWED including this Best of Show red

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WINE AWARDS WHAT TO DRINK TONIGHT, AT ALL PRICE POINTS PLUS FOOD PAIRINGS

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VOLUME 48

NUMBER 1

JAN/FEB

Cover: Clinton Hussey; glassware courtesy Atkinson’s. This page: Luis Valdizon

CIT Y OF GLASSES Behind the scenes, Vanmag Wine Awards judging, Oct. 22 to 24, at the Stanley Park Pavilion

F E AT U R E S

42 11th Annual Wine Awards

74 Tomb Raiders

The logistics of flighting 750 wines for 17 judges is never easy, but it’s all in the name of delivering 113 best-value wines, with one iconoclastic Gamay to rule them all

Two museums attempt to right historical wrongs in a landmark discussion of the technology and culture of the Musqueam city predating Vancouver

By Fiona Morrow

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 O 1 5 | VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E

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JAN/FEB

***

“SOMETIMES THEY TAKE HOME A PIECE OF ANCIENT HISTORY TO SHOW THEIR FRIENDS. IT IS A TREASURE HUNT, A FREE-FOR-ALL”

—pg. 74

THE

THE

36 TASTE MAKER

82 PERSONAL SHOPPER New

14 FROM THE EDITOR What does

Year, new you in 24-karat gold, copper wire, black glass, and (natch) Swarovski crystals

innovation look like? Quite sporty, actually

84 MODEL CITIZEN Pâtissière

draws a Blooming crowd, the AG flaunts her multicultural roots, and B.C. actors celebrate their own

BRIEF DISH 18 VANCOUVER LIFE The long,

lonely fight of a wine pioneer and the short, lively fight of a wine list; City Hall heads into the Cloud 22 BLOCK WATCH

It’s Chinatown (and that’s okay); alternatives to blue-glass towers; coach houses by any name are just as small 24 ON THE RECORD One of

PG.36 PG.36

the province’s top doctors says, Don’t get sick!

26 URBAN FIX

For every shimmering new development, there are a hundred slummy old streets. Here’s why

It was only a matter of time until the lowly ramen bowl went fancy; luckily, this one’s delicious

GOODS PLUS

38 CHEFS TABLE

Two cooks made famous by television say it’s not us, dear diners, it’s you 40 FRESH SHEET

Hens down, here’s the best egg you’ll taste this year, with a simple recipe to fete it

Jackie Kai Ellis on the wardrobe requirements of a life of everyday indulgence

98 SNAP CHATTER We Day

86 FIELD TRIP

Hit California’s Anderson Valley before all the (other) travellers turn it into the next Napa 88 SWEAT EQUIT Y Baby, it’s

cold out there.

Which is why heated, candlelit, raucous spin cycle studios are suddenly everwhere

30 THE ESSENTIALS

PG.82

Not so tiny dancers, the longest white wedding ever, and a whole lot of PuSh

Va n m a g .co m See hundreds of winners from past Wine Awards, with tasting notes and more PG.86

8

Gyoza Bar: Andrew Querner; Elk Cove Inn courtesy InnLight Marketing; Ellis: Evaan Kheraj

THE

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 O 1 5

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Opportunities Such As These Are Rare.

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TO THE ANIMALS.

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THIS

MONTH

FACE TIME APPEARANCES AREN’T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM:

FROM THE EDITOR

FROM FRAXELS TO FACE-LIFTS, NEXT MONTH’S COSMETICS ISSUE LOOKS AT ALL THINGS SKIN DEEP

The Big Picture

I appreciate any industry that can take a hard look at its business practices and dare to attempt something different

Top Gear idling on the stanley park causeway, i’m attracting looks. Okay, it’s probably not me drawing attention (sigh) so much as the car I’m test-driving. This isn’t the priciest of BMWs, but it’s worth the looks because of what’s under—or rather, what’s not under—the hood. The i3 is part of the manufacturer’s small suite of electric vehicles, and though I’ve driven e-cars before, this is my first experience at the premium tier.

It’s pretty swell, and not just because it has that electric-car hush. (To be clear: I’m getting nothing from BMW for saying this.) What I really like is the innovation that drives the machine.

Consumers are leery about electric vehicles’ range, so the car’s engineers went NASA on this one’s design, tossing every gram of superfluous weight—including the CD player (who needs one in the age of Sirius?) and the poufy leather and weighty wood that traditionally connote luxury—to improve battery life. Those omissions, plus a carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic chassis, cut the car’s weight by 1,000 kilograms. Nearly half.

I appreciate any industry that can take a hard look at its business practices and dare to attempt something different. In our Wine Awards package (pg. 42), the most legendary winemaking region in the world shook up its appellation tradition, inspiring one historic producer to create a game-changer so delicious that our judges gave it their highest ranking. I applaud both sectors for setting out to re-educate their buyers about the meaning of performance. These thought leaders leave me impressed by their commitment to building businesses that are future-proof— crucial since the future we’re all facing is one of scarcity, and we need to learn to be more ant, less grasshopper, to meet it.

Here’s a concrete step: the City of Vancouver has a goal of reducing car use to only half of all trips by 2020. (We’re at 56 percent now.) Not only is the i3 electric, it comes with a smartphone app that works off local intel. Type in your destination, and if congestion is bad the car suggests you’re better off taking the bus. Which means you can stop and have a glass of that Bourgogne Gamay on the way home. That’s smart. VM

john.burns@vancouvermagazine.com

14

FIGURES BEHIND THE WINE AWARDS

700 bottles opened daily 450 glasses of wine poured every hour 3,200 glasses of wine poured each day 25 glasses broken!

14 behind-the-scenes staff who kept the flights from colliding over the three-day event (see pg. 65)

Portrait: Evaan Kheraj; styling: Luisa Rino; clothing courtesy Holt Renfrew

JOHN BURNS

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Toronto, ON M5C 2W1

Material Deadline: NOV 13, 2014

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VA NC O U V E R L IF E

BL OCK WAT CH

ON THE RECORD

URBAN FIX

THE ESSENTIALS

“I feel like I’m in a music video from 1985 when I walk down Davie Street”

THE

PG. 26

The month in politics, real estate, business & culture

Vision Critical it seemed hopeless when Kirk LaPointe challenged incumbent Gregor Robertson for mayorship of the city. And though the novice politician fell short by 10,000 votes, he did articulate a shift in the electorate that will have statisticians and pollsters digging deep into spreadsheets in the coming months. When LaPointe joined the NPA last summer, the party lacked personality and direction. But as he hammered away at transparency and hot school lunches, at citywide Wi-Fi and affordable housing, he seemed to crystallize a dissatisfaction with City Hall that may explain the surge in COPE’s popularity—even if his own party’s share stayed flat. All this leads to dramatic possibilities for 2018.

“We didn’t have the right combination of ideas and machinery,” he said, summarizing the experience in Maclean’s. “This time.”

Vancouver Sun/Wayne Leidenfrost, PNG

Day 1 on the campaign trail, July 14, for the former journalist and CBC ombudsman.

LaPointe is editor-in-chief of North Van’s Self-Counsel Press, which publishes how-to books for law and small business

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 O 1 5 | VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E

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THE CENTRE’S AGING STUDY TRACKS B.C.

THE

BRIEF

WINES THAT ARE TASTED ANNUALLY FOR UP TO 24 YEARS AND SUBJECTED TO CHEM-

VA N C O U V E R L I F E

ICAL ANALYSIS. THE GOAL: TO PINPOINT PRACTICES THAT IMPROVE LONGEVITY

Tr e n d i n g S t o r i e s

HE’S CREATED A YEAST THAT NEUTRALIZES THESE TOXINS, ELIMINATING HEADACHES. SURPRISINGLY, WINEMAKERS HAVE NOT ACCEPTED IT true, given the nuclear particle accelerator down the road). Row after row of bottles sit, quietly aging, in the name of science.

Just outside the imposing undergrad-proof door, Dr. Hennie van Vuuren and I sit down for a catered lunch of crab cakes with BIOTECHNOLOGY a South African sauvignon blanc called Life From Stone and rack of lamb with pinot noir. An amiable and fiercely intelligent man who speaks with a light South African Among UBC’s libraries, none is so accent, the professor, director of the UBC Wine Research Centre beguiling as the one belonging to and Eagles Chair in food biotechresearcher Hennie van Vuuren. In his nology, is a leader in the field of bespoke bottle bunker, he grapples with metabolic yeast enhancements. allergies, biofuels, and time itself Van Vuuren loves wine. And he’s been using his skills to improve the quality of the object of his love, in ubc is home to many a strange particular B.C. wines. The study of room, but few are so unexpected how wine ages, for example: only as the Wine Library. Tucked away well-produced, well-balanced wines discreetly in the basement of a non- age well. Time and chemical reacdescript building, painstakingly tions bring out imperfections; each designed, the library is capable of bottle on these shelves will eventuhousing up to 22,000 bottles in ally be opened, tasted, and chemistrictly controlled conditions. It is, cally analyzed to provide data to I am told, the most secure room on winemakers around the world. campus (though I hope this isn’t Recently, van Vuuren com-

The Wine Doctor

U

18

pleted, in partnership with the Australian Wine Research Institute and Genome British Columbia, a project that mapped the genomes of all 16 chardonnay clones. “Many wineries around the world have planted chardonnay clones, and they’re not sure which clone they have planted,” he says.

“But we can now identify for them which clone they have, so they can make sure they have the right clone in the right environmental conditions.” You don’t want a late-ripening clone in B.C. any more than you’d choose a clone with berries sitting tightly clustered in Ontario, where they will rot because of the humidity. “For Canada, it’s critically important that the right clones are planted in different wine regions.”

One in three people gets headaches from drinking wine. The cause of this is incomplete malolactic fermentation. In this process amino acids are converted into histamine and tyramine, which are toxins. Van Vuuren has created a yeast that neutralizes these toxins during fermentation, thus eliminating headaches. Surprisingly,

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winemakers have not widely accepted this yeast. “The industry is very concerned about genetically engineered microorganisms,” he says. “Our yeast was the first one that was approved by the USFDA and Health Canada and Environment Canada.”

In this process, no foreign genes are introduced into the yeast; it is simply a matter of switching certain genes on and others off, none of which permanently alters the genetic code of the yeast. Indeed, this is a process that already occurs in nature through something called transposons, one of the chief mechanisms of evolution, discovered by Barbara McClintock, for which she was awarded a Nobel Prize. The engineering done by van Vuuren will not have any effect on the presence of transposons. What he is doing is momentarily creating a genetic recipe that is beneficial for winemaking, which allows the yeast to fully ferment.

Nor is the process limited to headaches. Van Vuuren points to qualities that will allow yeasts to produce more ethanol, used as fuel.

“If we can increase the amount of ethanol produced by the yeast cell, that would be hugely important for the alcoholic and fuel industry.”

Which is not, I think, an understatement. As van Vuuren describes the process of yeast interacting with its environment in a sort of ever-changing dance, the yeast adapting itself to shifting conditions, he speaks with the same level of passion for the science involved as any true oenophile speaks of the bottle. And that is what I take away from this lunch: much more important than the room hidden away in this university basement is the man who works in it. Though it is one heck of a room.—Steven Galloway

H O S P I TA L I T Y

CELLARS STAND AND DELIVER MARKET On this wine list, there’s no room to rest on laurels. Twice a year, B.C. wine by the numbers

NO. OF WINERIES IN B.C. 288 (as of Nov. 2014) COMBINED VINEYARDS (IN ACRES) 10,260 NO. OF VARIETALS PRODUCED 80 HARVEST, 2013 VINTAGE (IN TONNES) 34,399

contenders duke it out in a grape-eat-grape world  It’s 1 p.m. in an unremarkable board-

acclaimed Argentine malbec made by

room on the ninth floor of Bentall One,

Californian Paul Hobbs, that’s in danger.

and one of the world’s 312 Masters

There’s nothing wrong with the wine—

of Wine and one of the world’s 140

Hobbs is a well-respected winemaker,

Master Sommeliers are both seriously

and no one on the panel dislikes it. But

unimpressed.

for some reason it’s not selling well—

“It tastes like Kool-Aid with alcohol,” says Rhys Pender, MW, with a laugh.

“It’s soda-pop rock,” one-ups John

despite the fact that the $45 wine is only $80 on the list, a bona fide steal by Vancouver markup standards. The brain trust wants to see if there’s a slightly

Szabo, MS. The object of their disdain? An

lower-priced alternative that might still

overly confected sub-$20 Argentine

have some of the wow effect of the

malbec trying to elbow its way onto the

Cobos but attract more consumers.

wine list for the Joey restaurant chain.

In a biannual scene that’s part NHL

After a few overly sweet, excessively oaked misfires, they settle on two

draft and part The Apprentice, Geoff

potentials, anonymous in plain brown

Boyd, Joey’s long-time director of

wrappers. Candidate No. 1 is a lighter,

wine, assembles a crack panel to blind-

more refined take on the grape, while

taste every bottle on the restaurant’s

No. 2 is more brutish, a deep garnet in

VQA SALES IN B.C., 2014 $227M

Vancouver International Wine Festival

the glass, with less subtlety. Both are

Platinum Award-winning but relatively

priced such that they will probably be

compact (under 50) wine list. Every

$20 less than the Cobos—hopefully

VQA SALES IN B.C., 2004 $92M

bottle, be it a small-production pinot

enough to entice customers to try some-

from Oregon or a bold-name New Zea-

thing new. Boyd could easily add both,

land sauvignon blanc, has to earn its

but he’s committed to the discipline

VQA SALES IN B.C., 1994 $15.3M*

keep by running a gauntlet of tasters

of keeping his numbers manageable:

that includes Boyd, the two hired guns,

“Huge lists put the work of finding great

and a handful of non-oenophiles with

bottles back on the consumer, and I’m

more plebian palates. The glass walls

not a big fan of that.” The team is dead-

of the boardroom are covered in felt-

locked, so the wrappers are removed:

marker hieroglyphs: reds on one side,

it turns out both are well-respected

whites on another, and areas where the

wines, with the lighter coming from a big

team thinks the list could use some bol-

name in Argentina and No. 2 carrying

stering highlighted with squiggles.

slightly less name recognition.

HARVEST, 2003 VINTAGE 15,097

*All stats courtesy BC Wine Institute (Winebc.com)

These amassed judges will taste

Ultimately, the decision is pushed

over 600 contenders in a given year in

to the next day, when Kim Crawford

search of vino perfection. “First, we’re

Sauvignon Blanc, a star since it was

looking for vintage variation,” notes

first imported into B.C., will face chal-

Boyd, making sure they’re not sticking

lenges from a series of upstarts. After

with an incumbent just for past glory.

that, cabernets will defend their turf,

“We’re constantly looking for wines

then pinots. But for today, the work is

that overdeliver,” he says.

done. “Anyone up for a beer?” Pender

This afternoon, it’s Viña Cobos, an

asks.—Neal McLennan

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CLEAN TECH GENERATES $11.3 BILLION

THE

BRIEF

ANNUALLY IN CANADA, SAYS A NEW REPORT FROM ANALYTICA ADVISORS.

VA N C O U V E R L I F E

B.C. PLAYERS PRODUCE FERTILIZER, FUEL CELLS, AND POWER PLANT TECHNOLOGY

Tr e n d i n g S t o r i e s

C I V IC A F FA IR S

Great Leap Forward From a standing start, City Hall aims for digital supremacy on behalf of the e-lectorate study showed Vancouver ambling behind Boston, New York, and San Jose in social, mobile, and digital infrastructure.) The ability to monitor the progress of home-renovation permits through our personal civic web accounts, on our phones, or connected to SkyTrain Wi-Fi is one way to get us up to speed. Enhanced communication is important, too, with favourable experiments movwhen jessie adcock began ing the 311 call centre to Twitter her career in the digital sector, (Yes, you may fish in Trout Lake, online shopping was the hot new but you probably shouldn’t #Questhing. “I came out of undergrad tionable) and optimizing the City’s during the dot-com era, and every- website for mobile access. one was trying to learn how to take The digital economy’s green payments,” says the City’s chief digi- potential had Adcock most excited tal officer. “It was all e-commerce. last year. “Digital/green synchronThen came the era of e-business, icity is a priority of mine,” she when I worked at HSBC, and we says. “Working with the Vancoutook a bricks-and-mortar banking ver Economic Commission and business and transitioned it online.” our Greenest City team, we recogHer latest job, which she began nized there’s a real nexus between 12 months ago, was created to green and digital goals, and that guide our city through a digital a lot of emerging startup tech transformation. “People function companies happen to have both online, but most governments still in mind.” The Green and Digital don’t. If you need to connect with Demonstration Program, which the City”—say, you need to renew a passed through council this sumdog licence—“you have to come in mer, was born from this overlap: a to City Hall and stand in line,” she proof-of-concept framework that says. But why? Her role is to tailor aims to help local startups demthe bank’s strategy to make civic onstrate products not yet ready for engagement easy. market by using existing infraImproved connections have been structure. “We have a whole range a key goal in Adcock’s first year, one of people that are interested,” she of 15 tenets in the City’s new digital says, from software companies strategy that are meant to accelerthat have new widgets the City ate Vancouver’s somewhat dawdling website can showcase to manudigital maturity. (A 2012 City-run facturers and designers creating

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SWITCHED ON CIT Y OF TOMORROW Work continues on the digital innovation centre in the old police station at Main and East Cordova. The Vancouver Economic Commission is to report on benefi ts of hub-born projects (employment, spinoffs), and Vancity’s community foundation, which has a 15-year lease on the second floor, is to manage tenants and curate a ground-floor community space

CIT Y OF TODAY Meanwhile, the Dutch Urban Design Centre Vancouver has opened in the old Buschlen Mowatt Gallery, showcasing innovative design from the Netherlands and offering collaborative space for research into sustainability, technology, and livability

products related to cleaning and energy conservation. “If we can use a light pole or a playground or our website to demonstrate the viability of a project, it’s a way for us to support the innovation happening in Vancouver.” Every piece of City property—from its 545 buildings down to its 2,850 leaf blowers, chainsaws, et cetera—is a potential asset for the participants, who were selected in November and have two months to unveil their proposals.

The City’s demonstration project is similar in spirit to UBC’s Living Lab program, which harnesses the university’s physical plant and academic bench strength to kick-start research. It aims to assess the utility of energy monitors, biofuels, and clean-tech apps on a city-wide scale, bolstering the local economy’s role in a sector projected to be worth $28 billion in Canada by 2022, making it the country’s fastest-growing industry. (Clean tech’s direct employment rate grew six percent between 2011 and 2012, and at nine percent, its revenue increase was 30 times that of mining, oil, and gas over the same period.)

“Clean-tech and digital are top employment sectors in the province, and it’s important we ensure those sectors have opportunities for job growth by connecting the City with different companies that are emerging,” says Adcock. “The digital/ green nexus affords us opportunities that aren’t available elsewhere— it’s globally unique that our city’s priorities are quite this aligned.”

With a plan to encourage big impact in the marketplace via lowinvestment projects and to make screens do more than just glow green, this private-sector refugee is keen to lead City Hall into the future.—Adrienne Matei

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 O 1 5

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CHINATOWN RISING

THE

BRIEF

FRAMEWORK BY PORTE, 61 UNITS, 231 E. PENDER ST. THE FLATS BY PANTHER, 28 UNITS, 219 E. GEORGIA ST. 188 KEEFER BY WESTBANK, 134 UNITS, 188 KEEFER ST.

B L O C K WAT C H

SEQUEL 138 BY MARC WILLIAMS, 97 UNITS, 138 E. HASTINGS ST

Real Estate

Barbarians Are at the Gates In the rush to revitalize, can Chinatown make room for all? by adrien ne matei

with everything will be, julia kwan’s rain-splashed, neon-luminous doc about our transitioning Chinatown, local film-fest audiences were given a peek earlier this fall inside that neighbourhood’s historic May Wah Hotel. The four-storey brick building is one of the few residences in the area outfitted with modest SROs that elderly, nonEnglish-speaking denizens can afford to call home— though their stability is threatened by increasing development-driven displacement. A 2011 study from the UBC Centre for Economics and Real Estate revealed limited social housing affects the Chinese disproportionately among Vancouver’s elderly ethnic groups. (Their needs weren’t foremost in 2012’s gentrification-minded Chinatown Economic Revitalization Strategy—think new bars, shops, and restaurants tailored to residents more familiar with Candy Crush than mah-jong.)

But there’s hope the celebration of Chinatown’s rich history will become more than just a promotional slogan for condo towers. Last July, council approved a $2.5-million budget for the new Chinese Society Building Matching Grant Program, to support muchneeded upgrades to heritage buildings like the May Wah, one of 11 residences owned by the Chinese Family Clan and Benevolent Societies in the Downtown Eastside. That will help sociocultural organizations retain their voice as the district revitalizes, and so will encouraging Chinatown’s hipster demographic to support local businesses, which is the founding premise of the Choi Project, an initiative that aims to familiarize young chefs and shoppers with the Chinese vegetables available in their hood (including traditional-cooking demos led by local seniors). With conscious support, the neighbourhood may be able to progress without leaving anybody behind.

ROLL OUT THE BARREL Harbour dreams of seeing your name on an awardwinning bottle of wine, or touring friends through your Okanagan vineyard? Cashing out to become a hobby viniculturalist may not (yet) be in the cards, but a taste of the business might still be feasible.

Sundial Vineyard on Oliver’s Black Sage Bench—headed by industry veteran Harry McWatters (Sumac Ridge, See Ya Later)—is seeking $5 million in investment toward expansion (a 25,000-squarefoot production facility and crush service) and development (with rumours of a new premium brand in the offing). Not in for the whole bottle? Shares begin at $2,500.

Encorevineyards.ca

Chinatown: Chrystian Guy

STREET LEVEL

B U I L D I N G WAT C H

MATERIAL WORLDS

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GUILDFORD AQUATIC CENTRE

15105 – 105 Ave., Surrey Size: 75,000 sq. ft.

Expected completion: Early 2015 Material: Laminated strand lumber Architect: Bing Thom Cost: $32.8 million

TALL WOOD RESIDENCE

6050 Walter Gage Rd., UBC Size: 16 to 18 storeys, up to 400 beds Expected completion: TBA Material: Mass timber structure Cost: $44 million

TELUS GARDEN

777 Richards St. Expected completion: 2015 Size: 53 storeys, one million sq. ft.

Material: 300 ft. wood canopy Architect: Henriquez Partners Cost: $750 million

Gutter Credit

Creativity is key in the construction of these newcomers

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 O 1 5

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HOT BUYS

FIGURE ONE

Trust in Me

RIDING COACH Forget glorified garages.

Today’s laneway houses (or whatever you want to call them) are bigger and bolder than the main buildings they orbit

360 E. WINDSOR RD., NORTH VANCOUVER

$1,469,000 // A 2,990 sq. ft. (4 beds/ 2 baths) 1913 character home with wood-burning fireplace that “offers excellent coach house potential”

Finding the perfect home takes more than luck. Yet when choosing a realtor, most British Columbians adopt a surprisingly fatalist approach

 Over 1,000 detached secondary suites have sprung up across Vancouver since the city okayed them in 2009. Neighbouring municipalities

Q: How did you go about choosing an agent?

are onboard too, revamping bylaws (North Van in 2010, West Van last July) with semantic variance. Technically, Vancouver’s laneways are Richmond’s granny fl ats are North Van’s coach houses (derived from carriage-parking days). None can be sold separately—that’s infill—though interest in the units indicates that density

934 E. 53RD AVE.

$2,590,000 // 6,245 sq. ft. property (upstairs has five master beds, each with ensuite), with an 880 sq. ft.

(2 beds/2 baths) laneway

and diversifi cation are sweet by any

60%

hired the first they met

17%

hired sight unseen

51%

were confident in their choice

14%

did not use an agent

name.—A.M.

Q: What qualities do you look for in a real-estate agent? (out of a possible 10)

4356 LOCARNO CRES.

$8,880,000 // A 4,297 sq. ft. (5 beds/ 8 baths) home with a 760 sq. ft. coach (1 bed/1 bath). Mountain views even from the luxury laneway

8.6 8.5 8.3 8.0 7.4 6.6

APERTURE

795 W. 41st Ave. Expected completion: 2016 Size: 6 storeys Material: Concrete, wood-veneered glass Architect: Arno Matis Cost: $30 million

Credibility Responsiveness Knowledge of target neighbourhood Client satisfaction rating Years of experience Number of units sold last year

626 ALEXANDER

Expected completion: October 2015 Size: 4 storeys Material: Nichiha Illumination Series fibre cement panels Architect: Gair Williamson Cost: $5 million

*

In September 2014, the Zoocasa real-estate database, with Survey Sampling International, interviewed 240 real-estate market participants in B.C. All had bought or sold a property in the past four years.

Results above, accurate 19 times out of 20 within +/- 1.9%, are based on home buyers/sellers

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 O 1 5 | VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E

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THE

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ON THE RECORD

 PET TI FONG

Newsmakers

Patient, Heal Thyself

our way as far as expecting that when we get sick, it will be free and everyone will take care of me.

PF Shouldn’t we expect the health Mark Tyndall became executive medical director of the care system to look after us?

B.C. Centre for Disease Control just in time for Ebola.

MT The problem is we don’t take He has just one request of everyone: stop getting sick much responsibility for our own health. We need, as a country, to PETTI FONG Why are we spending so wake up. We won’t need to spend much money keeping Ebola out of 25 percent of our budgets on health Canada but so little on helping the care if we get people to start taking people in West Africa who really on some more responsibility.

PF It sounds like you, a medical need the resources?

MARK T YNDALL There hasn’t been doctor, have a problem with the one case in Canada—there will tertiary care system. probably never be a case in Canada. MT By being here at the B.C. Yet if we spent just a small propor- Centre for Disease Control, I’ve tion of our preparedness budget to joined the little team, and we’re help West Africa, there wouldn’t be going against a big tertiary care machine. I really hope the BCCDC an epidemic. We way overshot on can start to challenge things and our preparedness.

PF Is it a political decision? start to change the dialogue. The MT If there is a transmission, peosicker the person is, the more the ple feel very accountable for that, doctor gets paid. There’s not much

IN BRIEF Mark Tyndall, 56, received his medical degree in internal medicine at McMaster and has a doctorate in epidemiology from Harvard University.

He is one of three Deputy Provincial Health Officers

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and no health minister or provincial health officer wants to be the one in the one place where there’s a transmission.

PF You lived and worked in Nairobi on HIV projects, and then in Ottawa and Vancouver on programs related to poverty, HIV, and drug use. What’s the difference?

MT My four years in Kenya changed the way I think about health. We’re very complacent about our system.

Here we have a great health structure: it’s socialized, centralized, and we should all feel great to be a part of that. But we’ve also lost

incentive to prevent things.

PF Are you saying, as a physician, “Patient, heal thyself ”?

MT There really needs to be much greater awareness in people where they take control over their health.

Most diseases aren’t bad luck. We spend about three percent of our health care budget on prevention and 97 percent on sickness. A lot of chronic illnesses are predictable: if you smoke for 40 years, you’re going to get cancer. We don’t put much effort on prevention, but we will do anything it takes to prolong life. VM

Jens Kristian Balle

WE’VE LOST OUR WAY EXPECTING THAT WHEN WE GET SICK, IT WILL BE FREE AND EVERYONE WILL TAKE CARE OF ME

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 O 1 5

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Earrings in white gold and diamonds with South Sea pearls

THAI RESTAU RANT ( on Burrard)

Immerse yourself in the great tradition of classic and authentic Thai dining.

Catering, Take-out and Delivery orders available.

Fully Licensed.

Semi-Private & Private Room Booking Options.

102-888 Burrard Street 604.683.7999 www.salathai.ca Friday-Saturday 11:30am-10:30pm Sunday-Thursday 11:30am-10:00pm

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THE

BRIEF

URBAN FIX

 FR ANCES BUL A

Civic Af fairs

The Invisible City For every boulevard of luxe boutiques, there are a hundred retail strips that never improve. Here’s why

T 26

the winter sun is setting on a sparkling cold day outside Fantasy Factory, which has been selling novelty condoms, dildos, and fetish videos on Davie for a quarter-century and on Granville for twice that.

A lot has changed since 1966, when Tony Perry started his first version of the store. Japanese Mary’s

Whorehouse, as he recalls it, is no longer in operation at the corner of Robson and Granville. None of the shoeshine boys are left from when he was a teenager. There’s been a lot of condo development near his stores. “But Davie, it hasn’t developed,” says Perry, 83. “It doesn’t change.” The strip seems frozen in

time, a fragment of an older city. “I feel like I’m in a music video from 1985 when I walk down the street,” says Denna Keating, who works in promotions at the local business association. “It’s kind of the quirky side of the West End.” Lights glow above the rooftops of the area’s low-lying shops. Some are from apartments in the old buildings from the early 1900s; others come from the towers that have muscled in over recent years.

Just a few blocks away, a penthouse in One Wall Centre was recently listed for $8.8 million.

That New York-scale real estate—glassy and expensive—is the image Vancouverites have in mind when they think about the city. It convinces them we are morphing from placid colonial outpost to fancy international resort, investment haven, and glitzy city of cultural creatives. Signs are everywhere, they believe. Houses on the West Side sell for ever more astronomical prices. Residential hotels in the Downtown Eastside are spiffed up to house hipster bars. Condo towers stand with windows darkened, suggesting, to anxious observers, ominously absent owners.

What gets missed in this fear of gentrification is how ungentrified, how consistently down-at-theheels most of the city’s shopping strips are. There may be houses selling for $5 million in Dunbar, but Dunbar Street itself—at least, the commercial stretch in the West 20s—could easily be mistaken for a run of shops in Langley or Maple Ridge. Houses in the streets behind Kingsway and East Broadway are going for over $1 million nowadays, but their inhabitants continue to enjoy an unlimited choice of grungy pho restaurants, cheap car-repair operations, and

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WHAT GETS MISSED IN THIS FEAR OF GENTRIFICATION IS HOW DOWN-AT-THEHEELS MOST SHOPPING STRIPS ARE any number of produce shops with vegetables stacked on makeshift wooden stands shaded by awnings filmed with green mould.

Those little stores combine to tell a story far removed from the aspirational Tomorrowland of cocktail party chatter. Take the block of Denman south of Barclay.

It’s not far from the expensive enclave of Coal Harbour, yet look what’s available: the Denman Market, its wooden sidewalk shelves fi lled with inexpensive daisies and tinted carnations; a Cut My Hair barber shop, with its United Nations of customers, and ABC Hair Express; the Denman Shoe Repair and the Cash Store; Joe’s Grill, Café Phin and Pho, and the Olympia, purveyor of a kind of Greek food that has remained unchanged since boomers discovered life beyond tuna casserole. As a group, they reveal Vancouver’s real economy and a foundational mindset shared by the many small, conservative owners who ply these byways.

“Every city has great streets, and then local streets where the rest of us go. Businesses that are marginal need those spaces. That’s incubator space for independent retailers,” says Gordon Harris, a planning consultant who had to think about how to re-create the idea of the small mom-and-pop store at Simon Fraser’s UniverCity when he became president of its

development arm. Shopping streets everywhere are divided into these two kinds, he says: the destination streets that draw people in from the city or region, and the local streets that serve mostly the locals.

When a small neighbourhood hub does become a destination, as Robson Street did in the 1980s and 1990s, as West Fourth Avenue did in the 2000s, as some fear Main Street is doing now, it’s often painful. Rents skyrocket, older small businesses are forced out in favour of chains. But most of Vancouver’s shopping streets aren’t like that, Harris says. And so they provide that ideal starter space, where the small-scale entrepreneurs low on money but big on ideas can launch.

And that’s as far from glitzy condo prospectus imagery as you can get.

These are landlords underequipped with the money to invest or overequipped with the stubbornness to ensure their survival.

The properties aren’t big enough for massive redevelopment—or they figure redevelopment is coming someday, so no point in spending a lot now. They don’t invest much in spiffing things up, leaving it to their tenants to do the work (or not). “A lot of the buildings are in terrible shape,” says Jay Wollenberg, owner of the consulting firm Coriolis, which is Vancouver’s go-to company for assessing the impact of new developments or new policies on

DEAL WITH IT The discrepancy between many Vancouver neighbourhoods’ home prices and their commercial amenities may seem ridiculous, but they merely point to the reality of what people will put up with in order to live in this city. An October Angus Reid poll of almost 1,100 Metro Vancouver residents revealed that in order to reside where they do, a significant number made the decision to cut back on saving for retirement (26 percent),have stopped saving for retirement altogether (22 percent), or have worked a job they don’t like (23 percent)

existing retail. “One of the things that small retailers are good at is creating a nicer environment than the exterior.”

The little businesses that colonize those rundown shops are in evolutionary competition. If their idea is good, they expand and move up. If it’s bad, they close up shop and someone else takes over.

If it’s in the middle—a necessary service for the local neighbourhood—they can carry on at a steady pace forever. Like Monica and Davie Kim, the older Korean couple who opened Denman Shoe Repair five years ago. Their front window is filled with kitschy shoe ornaments, the awning has seen better days, and the small shop, with its Victorian stitching machine, is little changed from its last iteration selling candy. “We only did a little bit,” Monica says in hesitant English as a Koreanspeaking young woman collects her thigh-high leather boots.

Even as surrounding homes rise in price, there’s no guarantee that retail gentrification will follow.

That’s the logical fallacy we fall into, thinking that the arrival of a small wave of West Side refugees will bring about a local high street’s wholesale transformation. As the unchanged strips of Victoria Drive and south Fraser and Nanaimo show, Rodeo Drive is often slow in arriving. Wollenberg says that’s because no matter what the house or condo prices are today, the vast majority of residents bought before the upswing. If you want to understand the real demographics of an area, don’t look to the Just Sold lists. Look to its retail street. “Notwithstanding the high prices, a lot of houses are still occupied by the traditional residents,” he says. “A lot of people in those areas don’t have as much money as you think.”

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THE

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URBAN FIX

Civic Af fairs

The shopping along Victoria between East 33rd and East 41st is relentlessly low budget because the area around—the highest density of Chinese residents in the city—is dominated by people who are just making it day to day.

In Dunbar, the neighbourhood is still home to many who have been there for decades and are now living on retirement incomes.

Wealthier people are moving in, paying those top prices, but “the rich don’t just shop locally,” says Harris. When they do spend their money, it’s often at higher-end locations, like Vancouver’s few destination shopping areas— Oakridge Centre, South Granville, Robson/Alberni—or in other cities. The local stores keep going thanks to people one or two income strata down. things stay the same, except when they don’t. There is always the threat of a change that will drive out the quirky, localserving businesses. That reality got brief attention in the last bitter civic election, when Gregor Robertson released an economic platform that promised to find ways to encourage new developments to provide a home for small, independent businesses.

That’s not how redevelopment traditionally operates. “The tenants in properties that have redeveloped, they tend to be different.

There’s this pressure to lease the space to chains,” says Wollenberg.

Thus, the monotonous repetition, in the newly developed properties on otherwise ungentrified streets, of Shoppers Drug Mart, Subway, TD, RBC, and Sleep Country. It’s not that those national chains actually pay more rent, says Colliers real-estate consultant Jim Smerdon. It’s that the landlord

28

can be sure they won’t fold in the middle of the month, leaving a big hole in the revenue plan. A national chain will subsidize a low-performing store and will also pay the rent until the end of a lease, no matter what. Safety is the orientation of all small, conservative-minded landlords. Even if an owner/developer is willing to take a risk, sometimes those financing new developments are not. “The banks are dictating the terms of the loans,” says Smerdon, and they often insist that space be leased to those chain companies as a condition of the loan.

In the face of that, a city’s efforts to hold back, or at least modify, redevelopment can make a difference. The West End is the city’s current experiment; the recently approved West End community plan is deliberately crafted to keep the retail scene from changing too much.

Since the 1990s, Vancouver has had a policy of allowing residential to be built over shops, part of its solution to the affordable-housing crisis of the time. Councillors back then blanched at the idea of letting developers build apartments or townhouses in single-family neighbourhoods, so they rezoned the main streets instead. This had unintended consequences: it made it worthwhile for a property owner to contemplate tearing down a shabby shop to rebuild with condos on top. That’s what happened to beloved Black Swan Records on West Fourth and the delightfully rundown Rumpus Room on Main Street, with its plentiful helpings of hangover food for the millennials. It’s also the economic pressure that was at play for the Ridge Theatre, now becoming a condo project, and the Hollywood Theatre on Broadway—saved for the moment.

RENTAL STOCK Our city of glass doesn’t look so shiny when you study the lease listings

2535 E. Hastings St. at Kamloops St. $25 per sq. ft.

1533 W. Broadway at Granville St. $30 per sq. ft.

1242 Robson St. at Bute St. $240 per sq. ft.

But in the West End, planners have removed owners’ former right to add condos or apartments above street businesses, at least in what city planner Holly Sovdi calls the three villages: gay Davie, main street Denman, and high-end Robson. Under the new strategy, owners can get almost double the density they were allowed before on sites in those areas, but it has to be all commercial. Thanks to that policy, they no longer have to resist the temptation of easy profits from condos. “It takes that pressure to create residential away,” she says. “We wanted to be really clear that these three villages are for business.”

The city’s plan also envisions adding a lot of the elements that make little shopping streets thrive: patios, street trees, lighting, wider sidewalks. It capped building heights at 18.3 metres on Davie and Denman, 21.3 metres on Robson, to make sure that the sun can get in—another factor that makes people linger on shopping streets.

With all those directions in place, everyone hopes that the area’s oldest businesses—the sex shops, Celebrities nightclub, the Quick Nickel—can carry on operating unimpeded. That’s good news for Elsie K. Neufeld as she comes out of European Deli International Foods with her three bags of groceries. For five years, Neufeld has done most of her daily shopping on Davie Street, amid its nondescript businesses: the Super 99 Discount Store with its plastic tubs and brooms stacked outside, Ho Ho Yummy, the Maple Leaf Bakery, the Fingertips nail bar. “I do prefer to go shop-to-shop here,” says Neufeld, a poet and personal historian who lives a few blocks away. “I like the ambience and selection. And you get to know the store owners. It’s neighbourly.” VM

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Food is your business, not your garbage.

The rules are changing. In 2015, businesses need to recycle food scraps. Talk to your waste hauler about options for sorting and hauling food scraps.

For more information: call visit

604 REC-YCLE (732-9253) metrovancouver.org/foodscraps

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THE

BRIEF

THE ESSENTIALS

S t u f f You Should D o

VISUAL ART

1 MODERN LOVE Rare entry into a private vault includes an exquisite reward CÉZANNE AND THE MODERN, VANCOUVER ART GALLERY. FEB. 14 TO MAY 18

when henry pearlman walked out of a New York City auction house in 1945, $825 poorer and the owner of a painting by expressionist artist Chaim Soutine, his life changed. Pearlman, a businessman who had made his fortune in refrigeration, was bowled over by the boldness of Soutine’s landscape and decided on the spot to make modern art his passion, eventually amassing one of the most significant collections held in private hands.

His spoils have been housed at Princeton University since 1976, and this exhibition is the first time these works have travelled since his death in 1974.

It’s a coup for the Vancouver Art Gallery, the only Canadian stop on an international tour that launched in the U.K. last March.

Co-presented by Princeton’s art museum and the Ashmolean at Oxford University, the exhibition includes works from a who’s who of modern greats, among them Van Gogh, Modigliani, Manet, Degas, Gauguin, and Toulouse-Lautrec. Any one of these works deserves to be seen, but the show holds a pearl at its centre: 16 watercolours by Cézanne, considered the finest, and best preserved, of the artist’s anywhere in the world. Vanartgallery.bc.ca

DANCE

2

Men in Tights It’s a poor ballerino who blames his tulles LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO, QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE. JAN. 24

 It’s been 20 years since Les

skill and passion for their craft.

Ballets Trockadero de Monte

No pastiche survives 40 years

Carlo last pirouetted across

without a strong foundation.

Vancouver’s boards. The all-male

These fellas in frocks don’t just

troupe, famous for its irreverent,

make people laugh; they make

subversive take on the classics,

them think, too.

returns for two nights only. Up Paul Cézanne’s Baigneur debout vu de dos (Standing Bather Seen From Behind), c. 1879-82, oil on canvas, The Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation, on long-term loan to the Princeton University Art Museum

30

“When a big, hairy-chested

for a rip-roaring reinterpretation

Trock ballerina executes a famil-

this time is Tchaikovsky’s ballet

iar variation, we suddenly see

blockbuster Swan Lake, as well as

classical ballet writ large,” said

the Napoleonic Spain-set Paquita.

the Daily Telegraph. “It’s an oddly

Camp? Um, yes. Amateur?

moving experience—reminding us

Absolutely not. What has given

how big and strong this seem-

these unorthodox New York

ingly fragile art form needs to be.”

ballerinos legs is their undoubted

Ticketmaster.ca

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3

PERFORMANCE

4 RADIO DAYS

Bonnie Prince Billy The peroxide diva jumps back, ironically, into the mosh pit BILLY IDOL, QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE. FEB. 12

 There’s always been something endearing about the pop-fuelled punk

From the grave, Samuel Beckett directs his one-act drama

Written for the radio and first broadcast by the BBC in 1957, Samuel Beckett’s All That Fall has been subject to a strict order from the late playwright’s estate that it should never be performed onstage. “To act it is to kill it,” he insisted. Notwithstanding, staged readings have been

Generation X purveyed. Rebel-rousing and delivered with Elvis’s curled lip, any hidden beneath catchy choruses your had the cheekbones to go far, his pretty petulance affording him entry onto U.S.

from the well of nostalgia. Trailing both a memoir (Dancing With Myself) and a new album (Kings & Queens of the Underground), Idol has been touring since the fall. Now 59, he’s apparently aged well, his on-stage swagger continuing to make up for any musical shortfall. If most people are there for the chance to air-fist “White Wedding” or scream “More, more, more” during “Rebel Yell,” well, no matter. As the Guardian review of his London gig noted, “It’s all in the name of fun, and this show is nothing if not fantastic fun.”

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Whips, chains, and UBC star in the brand-spanking-new adaptation of E.L. James’s sadomasochist novel the saviour of book retail and the scourge of literary critics, British firsttime author E.L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey began as a Twilight-inspired erotic-romance series online and snowballed into a publishing colossus, spawning a trilogy of paperbacks that has sold over 100 million copies. Inevitably, it would be made into a film, and—lucky us!—it was largely made here in Vancouver. (Like Twilight, the book is set in Washington state, so we were always at a geographical advantage.)

The Focus Features production will almost certainly offer a tame depiction of the freaky BDSM predilections of businessman Christian Grey (played by Jamie Dornan) and his college plaything, Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), but at least local audiences will have the fun of spotting Grey jogging around Coal Harbour and the couple sharing a tense moment on the sidewalks of Gastown. Who says civic pride can’t be arousing? Fiftyshadesmovie.com

mom could hum. As a solo artist, Idol

’80s stars, looking to pluck some cash

You’ve Been a Bad City!

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY. OPENS WIDELY FEB. 14

antiestablishment subversion was all but

And now he’s back, just like so many

5

ALL THAT FALL, THE CULTCH. TO JAN. 24

that Billy Idol and his former bandmates

charts and a home in Los Angeles.

FILM

allowed under the edict, including a celebrated 2012 run in London (and, later, New York) with Michael Gambon and Eileen Atkins.

Written quickly, the script was, nevertheless, an intensely personal one for Beckett, compressing many of his tropes (sex, death, loss of faith) into a single act.

Staying true to the rules of performance, Blackbird Theatre’s production features CBC radio actors, directed by another (Duncan Fraser), with sound design by Chris Cutress. Thecultch.com

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 O 1 5 | VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E

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Louise Lecavalier has been startling audi-

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ences since her dreadlocked ’80s days when,

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The Chosen Ones BULLET CATCH, ARTS CLUB REVUE STAGE. JAN. 15 TO FEB. 7

a stunt so dangerous harry Houdini himself refused to attempt it, the Bullet Catch is considered magic’s most fraught trick.

It’s not hard to see why: after all, the performer is meant to catch the fired projectile in his or her teeth. But Houdini’s reasons for not having a go were more complex than the obvious, prompted by the onstage death in 1918 of famous illusionist Chung Ling Soo (actually Brooklyn-born William Robinson). A friend wrote to Houdini warning him against a jealous vendetta, suggesting Robinson’s death

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was no trick gone wrong but something murkily deliberate.

Rob Drummond’s drama looks at the famous illusion through another stage death, that of magician William Henderson, killed in 1914 by a shot fired by Charles Garth, a volunteer from the audience. Ostensibly a show built around Drummond’s own performance of the trick, Bullet Catch is also an exploration of what motivates an audience to attend this theatrical Russian roulette. Drummond delves into the guilt that consumed Garth following Henderson’s death, scrutinizing

his own prospective audiences before picking one volunteer who must then spend much of the evening onstage, having their inner thoughts and beliefs made public.

With raves from Scotland to Australia, Drummond’s work is described as intense—so much so, audience members have fled the theatre. “Obviously it’s made as safe as possible,” Drummond told Time Out magazine. “But you’ve got a person you’ve never met before being given a weapon to aim at your face. There’s always a possibility something will go wrong.” Artsclub.com

Lecavalier: André Cornellier; Drummond/Bullet Catch: Carol Rosegg

Magic and murder entice audiences to a show that reverses the roles of seer and seen

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“This morsel will cause a kind of power surge in your vagus nerve that floods your thalamus before exploding with a starburst of umami in your cerebral cortex” PG. 36

THE Hot restaurants, food trends, wines & chefs

Heat Exchange when winter returns and we begin to feel as though we might never see the sun again, soup has the ability to provide not merely sustenance but a reason not to retreat into bed until April. Yet despite the inherent simplicity of this timehonoured comfort dish, most of us don’t know how to make it from scratch (or can’t be bothered). Fortunately, chef/author Rob Clark and marine biologist Mike McDermid, founders of the Ocean Wise program, have concocted some much more attractive options than opening a can of Campbell’s. Their popular Fish Counter offers three stellar elixirs: a bouillabaisse brimming with bivalves and aromatic herbs, an I-can’t-believethere’s-no-dairy clam chowder, and a daily vegan option. Better still, they’re available as graband-go, so you can savour them in your PJs on the couch—exactly how you want to be when the rain is falling sideways.

Vishal Marapon

THE FISH COUNTER 3825 Main St., 604-876-3474 Thefishcounter.com

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GYOZA ORIGINATED IN CHINA AND

THE

DISH

ARE HUGELY POPULAR IN JAPAN. THE PAN-FRIED VERSION, SEEN HERE, IS KNOWN AS YAKI GYOZA. SUI GYOZA ARE

TA S T E M A K E R

BOILED; AGE GYOZA ARE DEEP-FRIED

Recently Reviewed

A Rise in Stock Two humble staples of Asian cuisine go upmarket, with delicious results, at downtown’s Gyoza Bar + Ramen by timothy taylor photos by a ndrew querner

H 36

having kept an office downtown for almost 25 years, I’m an authority on noontime ramen. For people who make their living at the keyboard, the union of noodles, meat, and broth represents a kind of holy trinity. In my humble estimation, the best bowl going for years was the medium-spicy chicken ramen at Sendai Sushi, a counter-service joint at Hastings and Seymour. Just seven bucks.

Of course, because ramen is what it is—cheap, unpretentious, delicious, a life necessity—it was inevitable that it would be taken

upmarket in the escalating spiral of connoisseurship that has gripped the foodie world. (Think New York’s Momofuku empire.)

That’s where Gyoza Bar + Ramen comes in.

Opened in September by Seigo Nakamura (Miku, Minami), this 80-seater is all about scrupulous design: it’s a big and bustling space with polished brick, pine-beetle wood, ’70s-evocative ceramic bowls, and pressed-fibre plates in vintage Melmac colours. And from the first chorus of the staff ’s greeting (“Irasshaimase!”) when

you walk in, you’ll feel its pulsing rhythms. Across the tree-slab bar, the cooks—with their plaid shirts, trucker caps, and stoic expressions—dance between range top and pickup station, geysers of This page: pork teppan gyoza are pan-crisped before being plated.

Opposite page, from left: market vegetable ramen; the lunchtime crowd; an apple dessert gyoza with vanilla ice cream

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THE COOKS DANCE BETWEEN RANGE TOP AND PICKUP STATION, CHAOTIC YET ORCHESTRALLY SYNCHRONIZED

steam issuing upward, chaotic yet orchestrally synchronized.

And then you eat, at which point you realize that, as at Momofuku, the food is also scrupulously executed. The gyoza are basic— pork, shrimp, tofu—but they’re nothing like your typical izakaya mystery-meat dumpling. For one thing, the pork in the teppan gyoza is Berkshire, and the little parcels are beautifully crisped in a castiron pan before plating—each a gorgeously rich mouthful. The chili shrimp gyoza, served with a disc of pickled daikon and a dab of wasabi chimichurri, are even better: be forewarned that this unassuming morsel will cause a kind of power surge in your vagus nerve that floods your thalamus just before exploding with a satisfying starburst of umami in your cerebral cortex. Damn, that’s a great bite.

Umami is a kind of running theme at Gyoza Bar. The word

THE

TICKET GYOZA BAR + RAMEN 622 W. Pender St., 604-336-5563 ORDER Pork teppan and chili shrimp gyoza, pork tonkotsu and chicken ramen HOURS 11:30am-10pm daily PRICES Only two dishes on the dinner menu surpass $20; lunch offers two meal combos for $17 each PAIRING Yoshi No Gawa Aburi Ginjo, house sake at Minami and Miku, is on tap

shows up several times on the menu, lest there be any mistake about chef de cuisine Michael Acero’s intent to front the glutamates (though, thankfully, not the monosodium kind). And it mostly works. In addition to the gyoza, we tried two ramen and one of the lunch-only “handhelds” (i.e., sandwiches). At $14 to $17 a bowl, these are premium-priced noodles, but they’re worth it. The excellent free-range chicken ramen comes in either a shio or “vintage” triple miso; studded with purple lettuce, broccolini, and just-poached bok choy, it’s hearty and healthy, and the sous-vide chicken is cooked just through without a hint of dryness. The pork tonkotsu ramen boasts rich broth and clean flavours, and the noodles retain bite as you slurp them up.

The “handheld” we tried was the Cajun shrimp po’ boy. Out of Nakamura’s wheelhouse, one senses, the

result was scattered: the shrimp was crisp and it came fully dressed with aioli slaw, pickle, and avocado, but there was otherwise nothing Cajun about it—texturally pleasing, but bland. (Crazy as it sounds, coming off of a menu awash in soy and miso, it needed salt.)

There’s a dessert gyoza, too: apple pie filling in a deep-fried shell, served with vanilla ice cream.

If you can get all these bits into a single pinch of your chopsticks, you’ll pleasantly activate all those neural pathways again, with a fluorescence of cinnamon to finish.

So, in short: a fun room, a lively menu, prompt and pleasant service, and stellar gyoza. If you’re strictly looking for ramen, though, and it’s a $7 kind of day, I still say go one block north to Sendai Sushi. (Remember: medium-spicy chicken.) But if it’s a $14 day—well, then we have a new best bowl downtown. VM

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TREVOR BIRD WAS RUNNER-UP ON TOP

THE

DISH

CHEF CANADA, SEASON 2. HE WORKED IN THE KITCHENS OF LUMIÈRE AND THE

C H E F S TA B L E

SHANGRI-LA HOTEL BEFORE OPENING HIS

Kitchen Confidences

OWN RESTAURANT, FABLE, IN KITSILANO

Freaks and Geeks Two Top Chef Canada alums agree that cooks can be weird, but this city’s diners might be weirder photos by eva a n kher a j | as told to mark philps Q You’ve both had experiences on Top Chef Canada…

TREVOR BIRD Except that he won

and I lost.

MATTHEW STOWE The experiences on the last day were slightly different for us. But up until that, it was the same.

Q What was the biggest breakdown you saw?

TB I definitely picked up an

anonymous fellow naked off the floor at 5 in the morning because I thought he was dead, with the shower just hitting him in the face.

MS I don’t have anything to beat that—that’s pretty good. The only thing I noticed is that the guys who smoked had a pretty hard time, because you’re on someone else’s schedule. These guys are jonesing for a cigarette and they’ve got to wait—that’s where tempers, I think, can run a bit high.

Q Did you always know you wanted to work in restaurants?

David Gunawan from The Farmer’s Apprentice said the kitchen is a place for misfits.

TB Definitely. I mean, I didn’t

fit in in high school. My marks were terrible, and the restaurant industry was just a way to get drunk and high, make some extra coin, flip some pizzas. And then it just turned into, “Hey, I’m kinda

38

TB I was with a single mom and

she was never there, so I was eating peanut-butter-and-cookie sandwiches for breakfast. You need to cover the whole bread with peanut butter, and then take three cookies—break one in half so you get edge-to-edge coverage with cookie and bread.

good at this.” And that’s the only job I’ve ever had.

MS Originally I wanted to get into sports broadcasting, when I was 16 years old, and I took this chef training course just so I could boil an egg and survive and still enjoy some decent food when I left home.

I guess the instructor saw some promise in me, and the rest is kind of history.

Q Matt says he ate pretty well growing up. Trevor, what was your formative experience with food?

MS That actually sounds pretty good. There are a lot of kids out there who would love to eat that.

There are a lot of adults who would love to eat that.

***

For more from Trevor Bird and Matthew Stowe, and interviews with other outspoken chefs, visit

Video.vanmag.com

Q We have quite high food costs in Vancouver. Seafood, for example. It’s expensive to get good ingredients. How much of a challenge is that?

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MATTHEW STOWE WAS EXECUTIVE CHEF OF SONORA RESORT (NORTH OF CAMPBELL RIVER) BEFORE WINNING SEASON 3 OF TOP CHEF CANADA. HE NOW SERVES AS PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT CHEF FOR CACTUS CLUB CAFE

I THINK VANCOUVER IS HOME TO THE MOST DEMANDING GROUP OF DINERS I’VE EVER SEEN

TB Vancouver has amazing

product. Yeah, it’s expensive, but it’s still a little bit cheaper than everywhere else in Canada. If you can get over the fact that for $30 you’re getting a small piece of sablefish and some vegetables, then you’re pretty good.

Q Have people gotten their heads

around that?

TB I think Vancouver is home to

the most demanding group of diners I’ve ever seen in my life.

MS Certainly the most valueconscious. I don’t think I’ve heard the word “value” more than in Vancouver, as far as what diners are looking for. You go to the East

Coast, whether it’s Toronto or New York or Europe—you don’t hear it as much. Obviously you want to be well-fed for what you pay, but in Vancouver that’s at the forefront of people’s minds.

TB It’s an expensive-ass city. But

on the East Coast you go to a nice restaurant and a main course will run you $45. You go to Europe and you’re paying £200 for a tasting menu. You try that here and you’d get annihilated.

TB [Laughing] I always thought it would be interesting to have a restaurant that’s just build-your-own menu, where there’s a board and you just point.

MS “There’s a massive walk-in in the back. You name it, we got it!”

Q Do you think that being choosy is a Vancouver thing?

TB Yep. As I said before, they’re

the most demanding diners I’ve ever seen. You do a dinner in Q Let’s talk about annoying trends. Calgary and there is not one vegGluten-free is a big one. What etarian. Everybody’s like, “Sure, about diners who come in and gluten. Whatever.” But here, if you want to take your menu apart, do a dinner for 60 people, guarwho say, “I’ll have this main with anteed five are going to have very this side, with this vegetable…” specific problems. VM

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DISH

RECIPE TESTED BY STUDENTS IN THE VANCOUVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE

FRESH SHEET

CULINARY ARTS PROGRAM

Duck Eggs

Bantam Brunch

THE RECIPE

Fried Duck Egg With Sautéd Mushrooms

Forsake the barn; take to the lake. Duck eggs are a delicious, proteinpacked alternative to traditional free-range

 Serve this easy-to-make dish at breakfast, lunch, or dinner

by murr ay ba ncroft

MUSHROOMS 1 tbsp butter

remove from heat. Toss in parsley and

they say that the truest test of skill for a classically trained French chef is to prepare a perfect egg—and the same should be the case for the home cook. If you’ve already mastered the hen’s egg, it might be time to step it up a level with larger, richer duck eggs. Higher in both protein and fat than those from our farmyard friends, duck eggs have been intriguing the culinary world of late. I first tried one several years ago in California, where a coddled duck egg could be added to your steak or french fries. They’re still a rarity on Vancouver menus, but with perseverance you can find them at select supermarkets, specialty grocers, and farms. (See “Around Town,” below.) Look for small or medium-sized eggs, and use them for baking or making pasta—or for simple fried perfection, as in this recipe (right). VM

1 tbsp olive oil (plus more to drizzle over bread)

Drizzle the ciabatta slices with additional

AROUND

TOWN

40

INGREDIENTS

garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. (Be

DUCK EGG 1 tbsp duck fat or butter

sure the garlic doesn’t burn.) Add the

1 duck egg

1 clove garlic, minced 2 handfuls chanterelle mushrooms 2 sprigs parsley, stems removed, coarsely chopped sea salt and pepper to taste

mushrooms, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, until softened and slightly browned, and season to taste with salt and pepper. olive oil and grill. Place the mushrooms on a serving plate with the egg in the middle (or arrange them in a cast-iron pan) and serve with the grilled bread.

Serves 2 to 4 as an appetizer.

4 slices ciabatta

On a medium setting, heat the fat or butter in a pan until bubbly, then add the egg and fry gently until the yolk sets, 4 to 5 minutes. (For larger eggs, you may need to add 1 tbsp of water and cover to lightly steam, or cook a little longer.) Remove the egg from the pan and allow to rest while you sauté the mushrooms (or cook both at the same time in separate pans).

For the mushrooms, add the butter and olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the

 Find duck eggs at T & T Supermarket (various locations; Tnt-supermarket.com), Southlands Farm (6767 Balaclava St., 604-261-1295; Southlandsfarms.com), or, occasionally, at Wheelhouse Seafood and Specialty Meats (2605 E. Hastings St., 604-215-5562)

Clinton Hussey

THE

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A CELEBRATION OF FOOD & WINE

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Join us as gold-winning chefs from the Vancouver magazine Restaurant Awards serve dishes specially created to match top wines from the 2015 International Wine Competition.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 6TH, 2015 | 7PM – 9PM Coast Coal Harbour Hotel (1180 West Hastings Street, Vancouver) Tickets on sale NOW. Only $99!

Tickets are LIMITED and sell out quickly, get yours today!

EAT

One of a kind dishes

DRINK

Award winning wines

MEET Celebrity chefs

Photos from Big Night 2014

Hosted at

Visit vanmag.com/big_night_2015 for details and ticket information.

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14-10-16 9:30 AM

11

th

ANNUAL

the 2015

WINE AW judging photographs by luis valdizon // bottle photographs by john sinal

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This annual competition is all about value. Why? Because our judges (17 expert sommeliers, restaurateurs, writers, and insiders) know that above all considerations you want to save money, buy wisely, and be assured of outstanding experiences

DS

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W INE AWA RDS 2015

what does it take to make really good wine?

More than simply good land, decent farming, and sound technique. Memorable wines, those that rise to the top, take passion, dedication, hard work, discipline, selflessness—in short, heart and soul. The result of this special effort? Wines with effortless balance, structure, complexity, and length. Wines that are arrestingly delicious and pleasurable and authentic. Wines that tell a liquid story.

And what does it take to pull off a really great wine competition? The same passion, dedication, hard work, discipline, and selflessness from everyone involved: judges, volunteers, and logistics crew. The calibre of judges is critically important (and we truly have the best), but so is the right setting, the right leadership, a well-articulated vision, and unflagging support from the wine industry.

For 11 years now, 17 judges have gathered each autumn to evaluate about 750 bottles (the ideal number for a three-day event), each deeply feeling the responsibility to choose top wines for you to enjoy all year long. Before firing the starter’s pistol, I stand on a soapbox and remind these experts of the singular features of this unique competition and of our overriding goal of curating a list of winners that offer quality, diversity, and value. I also counsel them to relax and taste: good wines have a way of announcing themselves.

Those tried-and-true metrics—quality, diversity, value— have consistently delivered a deserving list of 100-plus wines that span 10 style categories. As the judges sip, spit, think, and discuss (unshackled from any points scoring system), they select candidates that fit that triple bill, along with pure deliciousness. They never, ever forget that wine is about the senses and should stimulate as well as slake thirst.

So what fruit did the 11th annual awards bear? As always, there is a healthy crop of excellent B.C. wines, with Italy and France virtually tied for winners. Spain, Australia, and California also featured prominently with 16 stunning chardonnays, 15 pinots, seven rieslings, three gamays, two sakes, and one awesome pinotage. In short, a round-theworld trip of vinous delights to keep you stimulated and satisfied until we do it all again next year. Let’s raise our glasses to quality, diversity, consistency, and, best of all, value. —DJ Kearney

A

Heart & Soul How 17 judges faced down 750 competing bottles to find the most passionate, disciplined, and delicious wines

DJ Kearney

44

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+ Secret location

A Global Story

Paris, London, Tokyo, Milan—these high-profile international hubs are known for rich culture, an elevated experience, a transformative appeal to your senses; the very qualities that make our own city so vibrant. For the creative minds behind Secret Location, one of the threads that weave through these refined cities is an appreciation of concept stores: high-end boutiques that simultaneously engage trends and tastes, offering the ultimate indulgence to those searching for exquisite flavours and considered curation.

As a leader in Canadian fashion and food innovation, it’s only fitting that Vancouver join the ranks of trendsetting concept store destinations. Listed among the world’s top ten best concept stores by Vogue France, Secret Location opened on the corner of Water and Carrall in June, 2012, appropriately positioned in the centre of Gastown where the West Coast’s international influences merge.

A Sensory Aperitif | Your sensory experience begins as you set foot in the 7,500-square-foot boutique—a museum of cultural influence featuring periodicals, housewares and gadgets among their luxury fashion pieces. Creative Director Carey Melnichuk emphasizes the care and creativity that inform this exhibit. “We do not retail; we curate,” explains the young entrepreneur with a vision for vogue.

Featuring such notable brands as Simone Rocha, Paula Cademartori and Anthony Vaccarello, as well menswear from Louis Leeman and MSGM, Secret Location brings quality craftsmanship and creative ingenuity to the forefront, in one welcoming gallery.

The Savory, Continued | Stepping through the boutique and into the Tasting Room is a natural progression at Secret Location, where the restaurant achieves the same comforting ambiance as the retail space. Its simplicity leaves room for culinary imagination.

Here the cuisine treads through international waters, combining worldwide inspirations and local ingredients to create savoury moments that transfix time. Whether anticipating a quality espresso that transports you to Naples, or a 10-course tasting menu with cocktail or wine pairings at each intricate level, the Tasting Room encapsulates Secret Location’s emphasis on the experiential.

Secret Location claims delicious design and cuisine; a daring goal, but one that culminates perfectly in this unique space. So go ahead and indulge your senses—every last one of them.

PROMOTION

SPARKLING

W INE AWA RDS 2015

BEST of SHOW

Louis Latour Bourgogne Gamay 2011 FR A NCE

$25.99 +822809

each year as we debate the merits of the 10 finalists, aware that our choice will symbolize the entire awards, judges become passionate, animated, and edgy—rather like this jubilant wine from Burgundy. There is no doubt that gamay is a trend-setting grape now, sweetheart of sommeliers and gaining fans who love its juicy energy, mild tannins, and supreme ease with food.

It’s a remarkable turn of events for a grape that has historically been reviled in Burgundy. During the Middle Ages gamay was marginalized to the granite and sunshine of the present-day appellation of Beaujolais. There it dug deep into the stony ground and gives us wines like fruityfresh nouveaus, streamlined villagelevel wines, and earthy serious crus.

Always progressive, the 217-yearold Maison Louis Latour has taken ripe advantage of the new “Bourgogne Gamay” regional appellation. For its first vintage, Latour has selected cru grapes from Fleurie, Chénas, and Régnié, plus 15 percent pinot noir.

Our winner is from a fabulous vintage in Beaujolais, with even weather that ensured full flavour development and fruit richness, but at lower alcohol levels. Pretty aromas of red berries and savoury spice usher in a juicy palate, with cherry notes, bright acidity, a polish of oak, and a mineraledged finish. Light, lithe, and lively par excellence, it will pair with pâté, spicy tuna burger, or classic bistro steak frites.

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 This symbol indicates a restricted listing (available only from private wine stores and winery shops).

All other bottles are widely available at B.C. liquor stores.

Prices may vary

Sparkling wines usually feature brisk acidity, so rich foods are a cinch and salty works brilliantly too. Think briny oysters on the half shell, cheesy gougères, spring rolls, or eggy frittata

best of category Champagne Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru FR A NCE $54.99 +546390

Le Mesnil was our runaway Best of Show winner last year, and it dazzled yet again.

Blanc de blancs (pure chardonnay) bubbly is revered for elegance and longevity. With two years in the bottle developing complex layers of toasty, nutty flavours and creamy mousse, this Champagne is an effortless match for eggs Benny, grilled oysters, or truffled potato chips

Bottega Vino dei Poeti Prosecco

Zinck Crémant d’Alsace Brut

ITA LY

FR A NCE

$17.99 +95711

$23.99 +421388

Seriously structured prosecco perfect for everyday celebrations

Crisp, clean Alsace bubbly from pinot blanc, noir, and chardonnay

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

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life styled

concept store | one part restaurant, one part lifestyle boutique

one water street reservations 604 685 0090 ext 2

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boutique appointments 604 685 0090 ext 1

2014-11-26 4:22 PM

W INE AWA RDS 2015

SPA RK LING / LIGHT W HITE

LIGHT WHITE

Light whites are ultra-adaptable.

Pair bone-dry ones with delicate linguini vongole, and those with a kiss of fruity sweetness with takeout Asian or samosas. Or just sip while you cook

best of category Laurenz V. Singing Grüner Veltliner 2013 AUSTRIA $22.99 +458034

Stoneboat Piano Brut B.C.  $24.90 +374041

Old vine pinot blanc/ Müller-Thurgau sparkler drinks dry and peachy

Oyster Bay Sparkling Cuvée Rosé

Summerhill Cipes Brut

NEW ZE A L A ND

Bailly Lapierre Crémant de Bourgogne Reserve

$24.99 +772079

FR A NCE

High-spirited, serious fizz from the mighty New Zealand brand

$25.99 +657742

Year afer year, Cipes Brut knocks it out of the park

Enchanting dry bubble from Burgundy’s noble grapes

Our judges appreciate that lightness is a virtue. This repeat winner, made from Austria’s showcase white grape grüner veltliner, has classic flavours of white pepper and savoury stonefruit, and a mineral-drenched finish. The top-quality family estate of Laurenz V. devotes itself to grüner only, and this one is specially designed to “sing” with cuisine. Put it to work at apéritif hour: it’s crisp

B.C. $26.95 +314419

BEHIND THE L ABEL

Noble Ridge “The One” 2010

Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs 2010

Champagne Lanson Black Label Brut

B.C.

USA

FR A NCE

 $39.99 +446914

$39.99 +195529

$64.99 +41889

Classy Okanagan Falls sparkler is dry, toasty, and refined

Schramsberg is the sparkling-wine star of California

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Pronounced “groo-ner velt-leen-er,” Austria’s signature white grape accounts for 30 percent of all plantings. In B.C., grüner veltliner is planted by Devine Wines on Vancouver Island and in Oliver by Culmina

Over 50 wines entwined, then aged for three years

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

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Kono Sauvignon Blanc 2013

Moraine Riesling 2013

Selbach Riesling 2013

Gunderloch Fritz’s Riesling 2012

B.C.

Volcanic Hills Gewürztraminer 2012

GERM A N Y

GERM A N Y

Quails’ Gate Chenin Blanc 2013

NEW ZE A L A ND $15.99 +58032

 $17.50 +952143

B.C.  $17.90 +789677

$17.95 +23242

$17.99 +320135

B.C.

Zesty, well-priced savvy blends fruit from top sites in Marlborough

Naramata winery where winemaker Jacqueline Kemp works her magic

Judges loved the exotic florals, orange marmalade, and nectarine fruit

Global favourite from Mosel eminence Johannes Selbach

Modern, dynamic, gulpable riesling

$18.99 +391854

Telmo Rodriguez Basa Rueda 2013

SpierHead Pinot Gris 2013

SPAIN

B.C.

St. Urbans-Hof Old Vines Riesling 2012

Loveblock Sauvignon Blanc 2013

BassermannJordan Riesling 2012

Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2013

$18.99 +586016

 $19.90 +746776

GERM A N Y

NEW ZE A L A ND

GERM A N Y

NEW ZE AL A ND

Magnificent blend of verdejo and viura from superstar Telmo Rodriguez

Steamlined and stylish Summerlandgrown pinot gris

$22.99 +597997

$26.99 +830620

$28.99 +547489

$29.99 +389528

Wine diva Erica Crawford’s take on grassy, natural sauvignon

Stately, traditional riesling shows warm Pfalz climate

Beautifully balanced old-vine sauvignon from Marlborough

Gossamer riesling with limey fruit and racy acidity

Honeyed nose, quince flavours, dry finish… it’s never been better

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 | VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E

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W INE AWA RDS 2015

MEDIUM W HITE

MEDIUM WHITE

With pleasing acidity and moderate heft, these all-rounders are for pizza bianca, Cobb salad, or seafood pasta

best of category La Chablisienne Chablis “La Pierrelée” 2012 FR A NCE $27.99 +359844

The little co-op that could—and did, again and again. Founded in 1923, this quality cooperative’s 300 members produce over a quarter of all the wines of Chablis, from petit chablis to grand crus. Pierrelée comes from multiple sites, all with oyster-shell-rich soils creating tense and vigorous wines.

It’s a testament to the passion and diligence of the growers that such a pure, lemony, steely, chalky chablis was made in this challenging vintage

Santa Ana Reserve Torrontés 2013

Thornhaven Gewürztraminer 2013

St. Hubertus Riesling 2012

CedarCreek Pinot Gris 2013

B.C.

B.C.

ARGEN TINA

B.C.

 $18 +345009

$18.95 +561175

$14.99 +814996

$17.90 +731661

Exotic creamsicle flavours from this aromatic Argentine grape

Fruity, pretty white is fabulous with strong, creamy cheese

Oh-so-pleasing off-dry B.C. riesling

Lovely leaner style with plenty of apple and pear flavours

Wild Goose Mystic River Pinot Blanc 2013

McManis Viognier 2012 USA

Marisco “The King’s Legacy” Chardonnay 2012

Lake Breeze Sauvignon Blanc 2013

 B.C. $19 +132506

$19.95 +207779

NEW ZE A L A ND

Sumptuous aromas and flavours of peach and sage evoke Okanagan summer

Honeyed and intensely floral; exotic tropical fruit

BEHIND THE L ABEL

Chablis is the northernmost of Burgundy’s five districts. Chablis wines are 100 percent chardonnay and are dry, steely, and lean, usually made with no new oak.

Quality hierarchy is based on soils and exposure: grand cru Chablis, premier cru Chablis, Chablis, petit Chablis

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$19.99 +652891

Smooth-textured, seductive Marlborough chardonnay

B.C. $22 +464545 Sage-kissed Naramata sauvignon blanc is yet another winner from Garron Elmes

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

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F E E N I E G O E S H AY W I R E AVAILABLE IN RED AND WHITE

Feenie Goes Haywire Red 2012, made from a bold blend of Gamay Noir, Syrah, and Merlot, offers a full mouth feel with red fruit and smokey notes, and pairs perfectly with The Feenie Burger, Peppercorn New York Striploin, or Short Rib Sandwich.

Feenie Goes Haywire White 2012 is an aromatic and floral blend made from Gewürztraminer and a touch of Chardonnay, and makes a great match for Rob’s Hunter Chicken, Thai Red Curry Pacific Lingcod, or Beef Carpaccio.

Exclusively at Cactus Club Cafe

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RICH WHITE

These showstoppers’ assertive flavours and palate power will complement pan-roasted sablefish, cream-sauced pasta, or strong cheese

W INE AWA RDS 2015

MEDIUM W HITE / RICH W HITE

best of category Wolf Blass Gold Label Chardonnay 2013 AUSTR A LIA  $22.99 +122697

Tantalus Riesling 2013

Pieropan Soave Classico 2012

Coldstream Hills Chardonnay 2011

B.C.

italy $24.99 +18804 Almond blossoms, nuts, and snappy mineral finish to this polished soave

AUSTR ALIA

Château de Sancerre Sancerre Blanc 2012

 $27.99 +406355

FR A NCE

Definitive Aussie coolclimate, gracefully oaked chard

$29.99 +164582

Louis Jadot Bourgogne Chardonnay Couvent des Jacobins 2012

Schug Chardonnay 2012

Le Vieux Pin Ava 2012

USA

B.C.

 $30 +695873

 $35 +775064

$22.90 +802280

A certified Okanagan classic and the reference for B.C. riesling

La Spinetta Vermentino 2012 ITALY  $29.99 +267344

Native Italian grape shows beeswax, marzipan, and weighty richness

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FR A NCE $29.99 +475368

Flamboyant, wellpriced Sonoma beauty

White Burgundy in elegant Jadot style

Fans of Wolf Blass Yellow Label will love the newer Gold Label series. A serious step up in quality (and a steal at the price) they clearly express place and grape. High-altitude Adelaide Hills fruit gives this sleek oaked chardonnay impressive concentration and tensile strength. Flinty like good white Burgundy, with a thick spread of lemon curd and crème brûlée favours, kept crisp and fresh with succulent acidity

Restrained Loire sauvignon shows nettles, gooseberries, and flinty minerals

Full-figured white Rhone blend

Obata Shuzo Manotsuru “Bulzai” Ginjo Sake

Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2012

JA PA N

B.C.

$14.99, 300 ML +565606

 $17.99 +988342

Ultrarefined sake for food pairing

Rich, mouth-filling tropical flavours

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

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Wine with personality.

Wine that tells the story of the new Okanagan.

Celebrate the new year with Haywire, proudly made at Okanagan Crush Pad. Visit www.okanagancrushpad.com to join THE Club @ Crush Pad for 20% off select wines.

Order Desk: 604.800.0601 haywirewine

@haywirewine

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rich is always a good thing

ÂŽ

layer cake wines... just that and more.

handmade in:

australia italy argentina

california spain

Facebook: LayerCakeWine LayerCakeWines.com Twitter: LayerCakeWine Š2014 One True Vine, LLC.

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ROSÉ

Rosés are for year-round drinking, delivering the structure of red wine with the refreshment of white.

Team up with steamed shellfish, paella, fish soup

W INE AWA RDS 2015

RICH W HITE / ROSÉ

best of category Haywire Gamay Noir Rosé 2013 B.C.  $22.90 +46375

Edna Valley Chardonnay 2012 USA

Chateau St Jean Sonoma Chardonnay 2012

$19.99 +81430

USA

Rich and refined chardonnay from cool-climate San Luis Obispo

$20.99 +421644

Expressive and dependable Sonoma classic

USA $22.99 +586958

Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Chardonnay 2011

Abel’s Tempest Chardonnay 2012

Mission Hill Perpetua 2012

AUSTR ALIA

Stags’ Leap Napa Valley Chardonnay 2012

USA

 $29.99 +656710

USA

$26.99 +275552

Judges adored this ravishing Tasmanian chard

 $34.95 +476440

First-class chard from storied Sonoma vineyard

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Sake One Momokawa Pearl Junmai Ginjo Genshu Nigori Sake

Devil’s Lair Hidden Cave Chardonnay 2013 Elegance and finesse from maritime Margaret River

Cucumber and melon flavours in this unfiltered sake

Classically old-school chard from Napa icon

Okanagan Crush Pad is at the forefront of innovation in B.C., with superstar consultants Alberto Antonini and terroir expert Pedro Parra helping define new directions.

Light, crisp, and bone dry, our best rosé combines the juicy berry fruit of gamay and savoury, herbal aromas of the Okanagan.

Seriously structured and ageable, it is a lovely expression of our unique climate. Its tart finish is perfect for Dungeness crab cakes or melty grilled cheese sandwiches

AUSTR A LIA $24.99 +93096

Artadi Artazuri Rosado 2013

B.C.

La Vieille Ferme Côtes-du-Ventoux Rosé 2013

 $34.99 +394122

FR A NCE

 $18.95 +122572

Showstopper with riveting acidity and lush, layered palate

$12.99 +559393

Suave organic rosé from the southern Rhône

SPAIN

Super-charming rosé with essence-ofstrawberry aromas and flavours

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

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W INE AWA RDS 2015

LIGHT RED

LIGHT RED

Usually scented and juicy with mild tannins, light reds are perfect fish wines and have the acid to cut pork belly and the umami richness of Peking duck

best of category Louis Latour Bourgogne Gamay 2011 FR A NCE $25.99 +822809

Our Light Red winner features gamay plus an allowed smidge of noble pinot noir.

Pretty aromas of red berries and savoury spice usher in a juicy palate, with cherry flavours, bright acidity, a featherweight polish of oak, and mineral-tinged finish.

Dextrous with winter food like sausages and lentil de Puys, and succulent porchetta sandwich, or slightly chilled with summery grilled fish

Navarro Lopez Pergolas Old Vines Tempranillo Crianza 2011

Yering Station Little Yering Pinot Noir 2012

Arrowleaf Pinot Noir 2012

AUSTR A LIA

Marchesi de Frescobaldi Castiglioni Chianti 2011

SPAIN

$15.99 +616110

ITA LY

$11.96 +616011

Very stylish, earthy Aussie pinot from the Yarra Valley

$16.99 +545319

Fresh, juicy pinot from Okanagan Lake country

Supple, great value Mediterranean red

Polished aristocratic chianti from the Rufina hills

B.C. $18.95 +844100

BEHIND THE L ABEL

Bourgogne Gamay became a regional appellation in 2011. Its gamay grapes must be sourced from Beaujolais Crus (Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte-deBrouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Régnié, Saint-Amour). Up to 15 percent pinot noir may be added to the gamay

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Viña Tabalí Pinot Noir Reserva 2012

Haywire Gamay Noir 2012

Stoneboat Pinot Noir 2012

B.C.

B.C.

CHILE

Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages Combe aux Jacques 2012

 $24.90 +418061

 $24.90 +498170

$19.99 +609479

FRA NCE $21.99 +469924

Fragrant pinot from stunning, remote Limarí Valley

Elegant, tastefully understated classic Beaujolais

Super-fresh Okanagan gamay: peppery, earthy, and juicy

Energetic, delicious, much-awarded B.C. hero

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

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MERLOT 2010 IS NOW AVAILABLE

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MEDIUM RED

W INE AWA RDS 2015

LIGHT RED / MEDIUM RED

Reds with a punch make flavourful partners for short ribs, lamb kofta, or baked ham

best of category Muga Reserva 2009 SPAIN $29.99 +49254

Chacra Barda Pinot Noir 2012 ARGEN TINA

Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Series Pinot Noir 2010

 $29.99 +136382

B.C.

Astonishing biodynamic pinot from Patagonia

 $29.99 +222380

Primacy of fruit characterizes the wonderful 2009 vintage in Rioja, and this classy Reserva combines the lusciousness of plums and red berries with a burnish of oak. Muga is a globally admired bodega established in 1932. The house style is both traditional and modern; mellowed by 18 months in French and American oak casks, the wine delightfully retains its aromatic delicacy.

It’s the best of both worlds for a braised lamb shank or pork roast with romesco sauce

Lovely berry-flavoured South Okanagan pinot

Castaño La Casona Old Vines Monastrell 2013

Mezzomondo Negroamaro 2013

SPAIN

Rock-solid hearty red for hearty meals

$9.99 +400002

ITA LY $9.99 +135178

The ultimate $10 red

Haywire Canyonview Pinot Noir 2012

Monasterio de las Viñas Reserva 2006

Louis Bernard Côtes du Rhône Villages 2012

Cusumano Nero d’Avola 2013

Monte del Fra Bardolino 2012

ITA LY

ITA LY

 B.C. $39.90 +845339

SPAIN $14.99 +642785

FR A NCE

$17.99 +283648

Co-op garnacha blend with eight years of age for $15? Sold!

$17.99 +143610

$16.99 +391458

Lavishly rich and chunky Sicilian red

Serious B.C. pinot from steep terraced vineyard in Trout Creek Canyon

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Gutsy grenache/syrah blend

Uplifting, juicy Venetian red

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

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W INE AWA RDS 2015

MEDIUM RED

Fontanafredda Briccotondo Barbera 2012

Pascual Toso Limited Edition Malbec 2012

Fattoria Viticcio Bere Toscana 2011

Haywire Syrah 2012

ITALY

ARGEN TINA

ITALY

 $20.90 +272591

$18.99 +898718

$18.99 +920637

$19.99 +206490

Delightfully fresh and fruity screwtop Italian red

Lovely plummy mellow malbec

Sophisticated sangiovese/merlot/ cab blend

Pure Okanagan: juicy, mineral, savoury

Antinori Pèppoli Chianti Classico 2011

Louis Bernard Crozes Hermitage 2012

Antinori Toscana 2010

ITALY

FR A NCE

$24.99 +606541

$24.99 +381343

Ultra-traditional earthy, spicy chianti from historic producer

Northern Rhône syrah for a steal

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B.C.

Château de Caraguilhes Corbières Classique 2012

Moraine Pinot Noir 2012

FR A NCE

Hands down, one of the best pinots in B.C.

$21.99 +890228

B.C.  $22.50 +483057

Charming country red with alluring herbal aromas

Abel’s Tempest Pinot Noir 2012

ITALY

Le Vieux Pin Syrah Cuvée Violette 2012

AUSTR A LIA

Quinta do Vale Meão Meandro 2011

$26.99 +104885

B.C.

 $29.99 +65540

PORTUGAL

Tuscan stunner shows dark fruit and silky tannins

$29 +426122

Chiselled pinot noir from cool-climate, hip Tassie

$29.99 +106674

Head-turning perfumed syrah

Serious minerally red from great Douro estate

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

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2011 HYpotHEsis “the best first release i can remember from a local winery... An impressive first edition with a Right Bank Bordeaux styling.” ~ Anthony Gismondi, May 2014 The Vancouver Sun

90 points

Stoneboat Pinotage 2012

Thornhaven Syrah 2012

B.C.

B.C.

 $24.90 +383836

 $24.90 +237305

Appetizing B.C. version of pinotage: bracing, savoury, and stony

Summerland syrah parades cracked pepper and violets

Tenuta Sette Ponti Crognolo 2011

J.L. Chave Saint-Joseph Offerus 2011

ITALY

FR A NCE

$36.99 +392514

$42.99 +238147

Super-Tuscan class for knockout price

Epic “jus des roches” syrah from renowned Rhône producer

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noW AVAiLABLE At BCLDB siGnAtURE stoRE LoCAtions

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W INE AWA RDS 2015

RICH RED

RICH RED

Full-bore reds beg for prime rib or game. If tannins are young and firm, cook to rare or medium rare; if mature and statuesque, then choose an earthy braise

best of category Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Quartage 2011 AUSTR ALIA $24.99 +94433

It must be noteworthy when the same wine wins its category over and over. Once again our judges were wowed by the refined and understated power of this Aussie thoroughbred.

Yes, it is distinctly Barossa with plenty of generous cassis fruit, mocha, and menthol (from a group of Bordeaux grapes), but it is streamlined and structured in a refreshing way, and decidedly not jammy

Emiliana Novas Carmenère 2014

Hester Creek Selected Barrels Cabernet Merlot 2012

Viña Falernia Syrah 2010

Tormaresca Trentangeli 2010

CHILE

ITA LY

$18.99 +147819

$19.99 +675843

Top organic wine from Chile’s signature grape

B.C. $18.95 +13920

Stunning extremeterroir syrah from high-altitude Elqui Valley

Characterful blend of aglianico, cab, and syrah from Puglia

Marotti Campi Orgiolo Lacrima di Morro d’Alba Superiore 2011

Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz 2012

Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Moon Curser Contraband Syrah 2012

AUSTR A LIA

AUSTR A LIA

B.C.

ITALY

$23.99 +428946

 $26.99 +351502

 $28.90 +231209

$20.97 +613323

Full-throttle Barossa shiraz personifies Rich Red

New classic Aussie cab from legendary terra rossa terroir

Irrestible Osoyoosgrown intense syrah

CHILE $17.99 +771840

Generous South Okanagan red with rich fruit and glossy oak

BEHIND THE L ABEL

Our best Rich Red is made from black grapes (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot, malbec) grown in France’s largest premium-wine region.

These blends—made around the world and sometimes labelled Meritage—draw inspiration from the great wines of Bordeaux

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Fresh, exotic, Adriatic geek-chic red

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FORTIFIED

Stick to tradition: nuts, chorizo, and olives for the oloroso; sticky toffee pudding for the tawny; bitter-chocolate lava cake for the framboise; blue cheese for the ruby

W INE AWA RDS 2015

RICH RED / F OR TIFIED

best of category Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port PORTUGAL $27.99 +208405

Emiliana Coyam 2011 CHILE $29.99 +845321

Memorize this: a global reference for remarkable, ageable, biodynamic wine

Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate SunRock Vineyard Shiraz 2011

Moon Curser Carmenère 2012

B.C. $34.99 +365635

 $37.90 +634014

Hedonistic wine from a spectacular single vineyard

Sleek rich red from impressive Moon Curser

Graham’s is one of Portugal’s greatest producers, justly renowned for its stately vintage wines and mellow tawnies. This reserve ruby gets similar scrupulous attention, resulting in this full-bodied, wood-matured, premium port. Be creative and try with brie de Meaux or taleggio instead of stilton, or a bitter chocolate ganache torte with sour-cherry compote

B.C.

González Byass Nutty Solera Oloroso SPAIN $17.99 +35204

Tangy, nutty, medium sweet sherry

VA N M A G . C O M

Damilano Lecinquevigne Barolo 2009

Elephant Island Orchard Framboise 2013

Ramos Pinto 20 Year Tawny Port

B.C.

Beringer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

 $49.90 +693002

USA

ITALY

B.C.

$67.99 +421065

Majestic Bordeaux blend combines power and finesse

 $49.99 +210039

$49.99 +854620

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One of the most consistenty excellent Napa cabs for the price

Nebbiolo from five vineyards create this majestic barolo

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Mellow praline flavours in this graceful aged tawny

Poplar Grove Legacy 2010

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Magical essence of raspberry flavour

PORTUGAL

Sign up for The Weekend Fix, Vancouver magazine’s weekly e-newsletter, and receive inspired food and wine pairings from chief judge DJ Kearney

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

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THE JUDGES DJ Kearney Chief judge Alana Dickson Competition manager

Sebastien Le Goff Service director and sommelier, Cactus Club Café restaurants

JUDGE FACILITATORS

Bryant Mao Wine director, Hawksworth restaurant

Michelle Bouffard Co-owner, House Wine; president, Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers, B.C. chapter

Neal McLennan Food and travel editor, Western Living magazine

Rhys Pender, MW Owner, WinePlus+

Tim Pawsey Journalist, the Courier, North Shore News, and HiredBelly.com

Iain Philip Barbariain Wine Consulting: senior wine instructor, Art Institute of Vancouver Terry Threlfall Sommelier and wine consultant

Barbara Philip, MW Barbariain Wine Consulting: buyer, BC LDB Mark Taylor Owner, Siena Trattoria and Biercraft Wesbrook Village

JUDGES Mike Bernardo Wine director, Vij’s Restaurants; Sommelier of the Year, 2014 Geoff Boyd Wine director, Joey Restaurant Group Christina Burridge Drinks editor, CityGuide and Eating &Drinking Guide Sid Cross Wine and food educator Anthony Gismondi Gismondionwine.com, Wine Align principal critic Kurtis Kolt Wine consultant and journalist, the Georgia Straight

Emily Walker Wine director, Yew Seafood + Bar and Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver BACK ROOM Van Doren Chan, Beck Chung, Amber Dickson, Kieran Fanning, Ekaterina Gopienko, Lisa Haley, Alex Kearney, Kristi Linneboe, Roger Maniwa, Aldea Pallard, Jayton Paul, Peter van de Reep, Di Wu, and Jason Yamasaki THANK YOU Special thanks to the Stanley Park Pavilion for hosting our threeday competition

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Visit vanmag.com

to see our latest contests

and enter to

WIN! 2014-11-28 11:12 AM

W INE AWA RDS 2015

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These hedonistic sweeties can star as the dessert or match to fruit tarts, white chocolate, or citrus-curd Napoleons

best of category Mission Hill Reserve Riesling Icewine 2013 B.C. $59.99 +240127

Château des Charmes Vidal Icewine 2013

Paradise Ranch Sauvignon Blanc Icewine 2013 B.C.

Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Vidal Icewine 2013

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Bombshell tropicalflavoured stickie

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S O Y O U WA NN A B E A J UD G E ?

From left: Di Wu, Hao Yang Wang, Leah Bickford, Jason Yamasaki, DJ Kearney, Lisa Haley, Emily Walker, Justin Everett, Sally Campa, and Peter van de Reep

at vanmag we care deeply about developing and promoting the next generation of wine talent. Two years ago we added an apprentice judge seat to our awards, to help aspiring wine pros hone their skills. Each September a dozen hopefuls compete for that honour; they learn the essentials of evaluating

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Inniskillin Okanagan Dark Horse Riesling Icewine 2012

wine in a competition context from our chief judge, DJ Kearney. Then come the gruelling tryouts, where they swirl, sniff, sip, and blind-judge in a mock competition. This year Emily Walker, from the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver, triumphed and proudly joined our judging ranks. Who will it be next year?

Alana Dickson

Icewine is the uncontested best-known wine export from Canada. Preciously rare and painstakingly made to exacting standards (sugar-rich grapes must freeze on the vine at –8° C before gentle pressing and slow fermentation), this aromatic dazzler bursts with extravagant flavours of exotic citrus, herbal honey, and tropical fruit.

Thick, concentrated, and profoundly sweet but refreshed by riesling’s trademark racy acidity that invites you to sip with a savoury foie gras profiterole or Thai fried bananas or Roquefort cheese

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

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EVERY STORY STARTS WITH A RESERVATION dineoutvancouver.com JANUARY 16 – FEBRUARY 1, 2015

@DineOutVanFest #DOVF facebook.com/ DineOutVancouverFestival

PRESENTED BY

FESTIVAL PARTNER

OFFICIAL AIRLINE

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MEDIA PARTNERS

™ Trademark of Tourism Vancouver, The Metro Vancouver Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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Nestled in Vancouver’s only Relais and Châteaux property, Bacchus Restaurant & Lounge compliments the luxurious Wedgewood Hotel & Spa’s reputation for excellence. Executive Chef David Hassell’s distinctive and innovative food style offers a truly gourmet experience in warm and romantic surroundings with live entertainment. Dine Out Package includes accommodations, welcome gift, valet parking, continental breakfast and three-course dinner from $256 single or double occupancy.

Bacchus restaurant & lounge 845 Hornby Street | 604.608.5319 wedgewoodhotel.com/bacchus-restaurant

Bella Gelateria

1001 West Cordova | 604.569.1010 NEW location in Yaletown!

Our pizzeria, gelateria, & caffé will transport you straight to Naples, Italy!

1089 Marinaside Crescent | 778.737.7890 bellagelateria.com facebook.com/bellagelateria twitter.com/bellagelateria

Located in Yaletown where Davie Street meets False Creek, Provence Marinaside is a great place to meet your friends on the patio or at The Wine Bar. Featuring fresh local seafood, raw oysters, an award winning wine list with over 50 wines by the glass, and extensive reserve wine list. A visit to the South of France without the jetlag.

Stages Bistro & Lounge at the Holiday Inn Vancouver-Centre offers a diverse menu that features special seasonal dishes and showcases the West Coast and the city of Vancouver. Unwind in the lounge area while enjoying one of our specialty appetizers and a drink from our vast wine, beer and cocktail selection.

provence

711 West Broadway Avenue 778.330.2406 stages@hivancouver.com stagesbistroandlounge.com

1177 Marinaside Crescent 604.681.4144 provencevancouver.com

Come discover what makes The Keg Canada’s favourite steakhouse and bar. During Dine Out Vancouver, enjoy a selection of our finest steak and seafood from our special three course menu.

The Keg Steakhouse + Bar kegsteakhouse.com

Dine Out Vancouver menu is available at 11 lower mainland* locations. *Not available at the Abbotsford and Guildford locations.

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Using only the finest ingredients sourced locally & around the world we preserve the true artisanship of old-world handcrafted gelato because you deserve nothing less than the best!

Stages Bistro & Lounge

Come experience our unique tapanyaki cooking, see and feel the heat from the tapanyaki table, and experience the unforgettable taste of fine food at Yokohama in Steveston.

Yokohama Teppanyaki

横滨铁板烧

#140 - 12251 No. 1 Road Richmond, BC 604.271.8896 yokohamabc.com

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.

NTS .

A R LS TAU RES S. HOTE T .

EVEN 7 DAYS 1 !

EP IN T E L S NIGH OUT. DINE $78 PER M FRO 6 to RY 1 2015 A U JAN ARY 1, U FEBR

Fresh Restaurant is committed to Going Local!

The Fraser Valley boasts some of the country’s best and most productive agricultural land and we’re proud to support our local growers and producers by curating some of the freshest and best products available. Our chefs have created a menu that combines local flare with international flavours for your dining pleasure.

The award winning destination for pizza pie loaded with local & organic produce.

During Dine Out Vancouver we are offering our three course menu for $18 with over 94 combinations to choose from. And yes, we serve delicious gluten free pizza too!

Fresh Restaurant & Lounge

Rocky Mountain Flatbread

Renowned for its spectacular waterfront views and seasonally selected wild Ocean Wise fish, The Boathouse serves the best seafood on the West Coast. For diners who prefer land over sea, choose between a selection of premium Certified Angus steaks, pasta, burgers and more. Enjoy an all new Happy Hour featuring drinks specials starting at $4 and fresh oysters starting at $1.69 a shuck. Brunch, Lunch & Dinner served daily. Choose between 7 waterfront locations.

From the moment you step inside, until your very last bite, you’ll be well taken care of by the superior service and outstanding West Coast inspired cuisine at Tramonto.

Situated in River Rock Casino Resort, Tramonto’s picturesque dining room overlooks the Fraser River and the River Rock Marina.

The Boathouse

riverrock.com/tramonto

15269 104th Avenue, Surrey At the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel 604.587.6127 eatatfresh.ca

1876 West 1st Avenue | 604.730.0321 4186 Main Street | 604.566.9779 rockymountainflatbread.ca

Tramonto

boathouserestaurants.ca

Overlooking the waters of Horseshoe Bay, Olive & Anchor offers amazing, home-made, un-fussy and delicious food using only fresh, local and sustainable produce. Come join us for lunch and dinner served in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

OLIVE & ANCHOR

6418 Bay Street, West Vancouver 604.921.8848 oliveandanchor.com

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At La Terrazza, we pride ourselves on our classic Italian cuisine, highlighting local ingredients and celebrating the finest Italy has to offer. Our award-winning, international wine list enhances your perfect night out.

La Terrazza

17 Years in Business!

1088 Cambie Street @ Pacific Boulevard Open 7 days a week | 5pm - late laterrazza.ca 604.899.4449

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FIN TO F E DININ G OOD TRU CKS 17 CUL DAYS O INAR F Y EV ENT S

Deserving of its “highest praise” deems Vancouver magazine, “fresh and contemporary” raves The Globe and Mail. Left Bank is Vancouver’s newest French restaurant with a twist. Dishes are kissed by the colonies showcasing North African and Asian influence.

Grab a solo seat at the bar or settle in with a group of friends at this casual and popular bistro by award winning restaurateur, John Blakeley.

Over 15 years, Bistro Pastis has retained its relevance as one of Vancouver’s favorite French restaurants. Specializing in classic bistro fare, perfectly executed and accompanied by an extensive wine list, guests at Bistro Pastis bask in the warmth of a cozy fireplace and gracious hospitality of Restaurant Hall of Famer, John Blakeley.

LEFT BANK

2153 West 4th Avenue Kitsilano | 604.731.5020 bistropastis.com Reservations Required

751 Denman Street West End | 604.687.1418 Leftbankvancouver.com | @leftbankvan

Fishworks is alive with bustling energy, an environment which is both warm and welcoming with vaulted ceilings and careful attention to detail. Chef Shallaw has made it a priority to bring fresh seafood from our unique and celebrated West Coast featuring timeless classics as well as contemporary, modern cuisine.

FISHWORKS CANOE OYSTER BAR 91 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver 778.340.3449 fishworks.ca

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BISTRO PASTIS

Experience a three-course Dine Out Vancouver tasting menu designed by Cactus Club Cafe’s Chef Rob Feenie.

Reservations are available at participating locations, as listed on our website.

CACTUS CLUB CAFE cactusclubcafe.com

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Locally Grown Seasonally Inspired Signature West Coast Fare Located in the heart of Yaletown

WEST OAK

1035 Mainland Street 604.629.8808 westoakrestaurant.com

Indulge yourself numerous times with our $38.00 3-course Dine Out Menu.

Enjoy award winning cuisine renowned for truly Italian rustic food using only in season, organic and local ingredients.

Extraordinary wine pairings, superb, friendly service and cozy fireplace make for one of the best rooms in the city.

Reservations book on line or call.

CIBO TRATTORIA

Award-winning food and wine for over 15 years.

BRIX

1138 Homer Street 604.915.9463 brixvancouver.com

Cocktails by George, Food by Brix.

GEORGE

1137 Hamilton Street 604.628.5555. georgelounge.com

At the Moda Hotel, 900 Seymour St cibotrattoria.ca to view the menu.

604.602.9570

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TOMB RAIDERS UBC fieldwork in progress.

Image courtesy the UBC Laboratory of Archaeology and the Musqueam Indian Band

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In the vaults of the Museum of Vancouver, past the upholstered chairs and the shelves of household ephemera recognizable to generations of children, rests a set of thin collection trays in units three metres high. These trays, labelled DhRs1, hold the key to a controversial period of history not just for the museum, but for the city itself. The fragments of bone, shell, and stone contain clues to a past that has been—in the dishonourable tradition of colonialism— misrepresented, misappropriated, and miscategorized.

|| by fiona morrow

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COMMUNITY (MCGILL-QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2010) AS AN ESSENTIAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROJECT

CREDIT HER THESE MYSTERIOUS PEOPLE: SHAPING HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY IN A NORTHWEST COAST

PROFESSOR SUSAN ROY—TO BRING THE DISCRETE PARTS OF THE EXHIBITION TOGETHER. ALL THREE MUSEUMS

REQUIRED READING IT TOOK THE WORK OF AN OUTSIDER—UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO ASSISTANT

I

magine the scene: it’s the 1920s, and the local historical society (which would later become Museum of Vancouver) hires Herman Leisk, an amateur archaeologist, to explore a site of potential interest. The dig is haphazard, starting at the top and just plowing on down. All manner of objects are found, including human remains. The curious intellectuals have stumbled upon something significant. The site becomes a focus of interest to members of the public, who come on weekends to peek, picnic, and poke about. Sometimes they take home a piece of ancient history to show their friends. It is a treasure hunt, a free-for-all.

Fast-forward to 2012, and the site, below Southwest Marine Drive between Granville Street and the Arthur Laing Bridge and now home to a condo tower under construction, produces more human remains, including those of infants. Attempts to draw media attention fail until protestors close down the bridge and, thus, access to YVR. Suddenly all eyes are back on a lot that was apparently empty yet has been classified since 1933 as a Canadian Heritage Site.

Beginning this month, the history and significance of the area commonly referred to as the Marpole Midden are explored in Cəsnaʔəm: The City Before the City, an exhibition straddling three institutions: MOV, the Museum of Anthropology, and the Musqueam Cultural Centre. Running for a year, it’s a remarkable undertaking that seeks to address a century of misunderstanding and redress at least some of its effects.

Cəsnaʔəm (pronounced “tsuss-nuh-um”) gives the telling of the village’s history back to the Musqueam.

Curatorial teams from all three organizations have worked together, their programming led by the Musqueam First Nation in a consultation process that has led to unexpected decisions about what will—and will not—be seen.

In an almost absurdly counterintuitive move, MOA, with access to a massive UBC Laboratory of Archaeology collection, will display nothing. Sue Rowley, an archaeologist with the museum, says the decision was the result of a very long conversation with co-curator Jordan Wilson, an anthropology graduate student and a member of the Musqueam nation.

“The discussion was about, When you put something on display, who chooses? And how representative is that of the culture?” Rowley explains. “People tend to put out the goodies, the stellar, the spectacular. Because that’s what draws people in. Jordan asked, ‘Shouldn’t we just put everything out? Show everything that there is?’ ” After multiple plans that wrestled with an exhibition of 9,000 pieces, they settled on the opposite.

The irony is not lost on Rowley as we sit in MOA’s Great Hall, surrounded by the spectacular. Using video interviews with Musqueam people, MOA’s exhibit will be part installation, part first-person text, and concerned with ongoing ways of being: what it is to be a Musqueam. It will be provocative without, she says, “beating people over the head.”

Questions of place and identity will arise, alongside an exploration of a colonial system that makes free with natural resources and leaves behind a devastated people. “Except we, the colonists, are still here, and we still treat the people of the land as though we have the right to be here because we developed it.” It’s difficult for many of us even to acknowledge our connection to European settlement. “That’s a hard mindset for many people to deal with: ‘Oh, wait. That was my parents, my grandparents. My family.’ ” The key across the project is to re-establish a connection between past and present, to show the continuum between the early Musqueam people and their descendants still here, still looking for justice and recognition.

“That whole early archaeological, anthropological view was that those people lived there and died, and these people are different,” notes Jason Woolman, senior archivist for the Musqueam First Nation. “The whole notion that people could still be here was foreign to them and they refused to accept that, despite the community, despite the oral history.” the musqueam cultural centre stands near the mouth of the Fraser River, in the (relocated) building that for the 2010 Olympics was the Four Host First Nations Pavilion. This is the heart of the village

“Museums have been very good at badly representing Viviane Gosselin. “Here we are asking the Musqueam 76

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of Musqueam. Vancouver Island is visible; on a clear day, Mount Baker too. “We have been on this delta for 14,000 years or more; 4,000 on this site continuously,” Musqueam elder Larry Grant notes, sweeping his arm across the stunning vista. “The perception given to the world is that we have not evolved over centuries, that we carry a Stone Age mentality.”

Reclaiming the lexicon of industry and advancement—shipbuilding, structural engineering, pharmacology, psychology, trade—as it applies to the Musqueam is important, Woolman says, in order to educate not only the general visitor but Musqueam youth as well. “When they go to university and see courses listed, they don’t have to be worried,” he explains. “This is something their people have been doing for 10,000 years. It’s nothing new.”

The Musqueam Cultural Centre exhibit will begin with a welcome and an acknowledgment that what is on display is not wholly representative of the past, that as much as 90 percent of the objects have long disappeared. Organized thematically, it seeks to make clear the sophistication of the early Cəsnaʔəm villagers, showing the tools of hunting and fishing, construction (of longhouses and canoes) and medicine, and putting them in context with the help of sketches, stories, and video testimonies. Replicas of important items, including blankets and a sturgeon harpoon, will feature next to surviving ones.

The most extensive timeline on display will be at the Museum of Vancouver, where the exhibit of 200 of its 1,500 Musqueam belongings, as they are termed, will run for several years. It will be the first space visitors encounter as they travel through the museum’s permanent history galleries. (It will also be the last time the belongings will appear at MOV. Negotiations have already begun to repatriate them, possibly for a museum on the site of Cəsnaʔəm.)

Sensitivities are high: the way the belongings came to be here is, frankly, an embarrassment in contemporary museum studies, and MOV is committed to making amends. “Museums have been very good at badly representing cultures they don’t know,” admits Viviane Gosselin, one of the museum’s

curators. “Here we are asking the Musqueam to be in the driver’s seat of the exhibition and the space.”

That means making sure the Musqueam language appears first in text, there are more Musqueam than non-Musqueam voices, and the community consultation was not just part of the process but is referred to in the exhibit itself. “We want it to be obvious that the people primarily responsible for the interpretation are Musqueam.”

That interpretation has, she says, fundamentally altered the direction of the show. First off, MOV had planned to focus strongly on the museum’s history with Cəsnaʔəm and look critically at its past practice, but the Musqueam told them to hold off. “They said, yes, we had to own this history, but it shouldn’t be the focal point, because then once again the story is all about the museum. They said, ‘We want visitors to see us first.’ ” Gosselin was even more surprised by the decision to include a series of busts created by early-20thcentury anthropologists to reconstruct the faces of Musqueam from unearthed skulls. “They believed you could actually do facial reconstruction and make further theories about the people.” She pauses to raise her eyebrows. “It’s like 1930s CSI.” The Musqueam think the busts will help visitors understand the mindset of the time—an important part of the wider context. “To tell you the truth, if it had been just me deciding, I would have self-censored.”

Back at the Musqueam Cultural Centre, Larry Grant shows the wall where an installation evoking the 2012 vigil will be placed. The protest is seen as a turning point—the moment when the Musqueam, feeling the interest of the wider Vancouver community, found encouragement that an exhibition of their history could be well received.

Despite the anger he felt as a younger man around the means by which his ancestors’ belongings had been taken, Grant says his views have mellowed. “They have preserved so much of our cultural background expecting us to disappear from the world, and now that is giving us something back to fill the void created by all those legislative acts of denial and exclusion. Inadvertently, they have done a good thing.” VM

From left: needles likely used for making nets with plant fibre; basalt butchery knives; a necklace made from 29 canine teeth, excavated in 1930; and a bone pendant with face incised on front, excavated by Herman Leisk from the the Marpole Midden, on behalf of the Vancouver museum. On March 4, 1931, Leisk wrote: “A new kind of plaque amulet, the carving is remarkably un-Indian. If the lines represent chin-whiskers as seems rather likely, this plaque is important. They might be the sun’s rays, however.” All images courtesy Museum of Vancouver

MOV curator tion and space” J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 O 1 5 | VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E

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sponsored report

Learning Guide Private school and university enrolment is on the rise, but choosing the right education for your child can be a daunting process. We ask local admissions specialists and top independent schools why they should choose you—and why you should choose them KEY | Admissions Strategy & Learning Enrichment

Mulgrave School

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What does KEY | Admissions Strategy & Learning Enrichment offer as an admissions strategy company, and what type of student would benefit from your programs?

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The reality is that it is becoming much more difficult to gain admission to private schools and universities. In today’s highly competitive admissions process, the abundance of information and options can become overwhelming for both parents and students. That is where a knowledgeable, qualified and experienced admissions strategist can educate families on what private schools are looking for in ideal applicants, how they make their admissions decisions and what students can do to prepare for this process.

At KEY we work with a wide range of students from newly-arrived immigrants to native-born students with a long record of achievements; truly any type of student would benefit.

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What educational and preparatory programs are offered at KEY, and how do they prepare your students for a variety of future endeavours?

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At KEY we say that the first 15 years of a child’s life determine the next 50 years. That is why we take a strategic, life-long approach with our students from early childhood through to university, motivating them to love learning and equipping them with the necessary skills to succeed. With our KEY Early Years™ program, for ages 3 to 5, and our Keys to Success™ afterschool enrichment, for ages 6 to 14, we implement strong academic and social-emotional foundations while developing the 6 C’s: curiosity, creativity, critical and strategic thinking, collaboration, confidence, and character.

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KEY co-founders Bernard Batt (left), Bryan Ide, Ted Sixt, Ali Nathoo, Ben Batt

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What makes the International Baccalaureate program offered at Mulgrave School so valuable for students anticipating a post-secondary education, and how does the IB program reflect in the average Mulgrave student?

A

Many of the world’s best universities are looking for more than just high marks and academic success in prospective students; they seek young adults who are passionate and resilient, who want to contribute to their communities and who care deeply about the world they inhabit.

The IB program is a cross-disciplinary, international curriculum that emphasizes the development of critical thinking through active inquiry at all grade levels. The culminating two-year IB Diploma Program requires the in-depth study of six academic subjects, involvement in creative, athletic and service-oriented pursuits and an Extended Essay that is akin to a thesis. As a result, Mulgrave students are extremely successful in university and beyond.

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What other programs are offered to Mulgrave students and how will they help to prepare Mulgrave students both for postsecondary school and the real world?

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The buzzword at Mulgrave is personalization. Our IB programmes and co-curricular opportunities are set up so that students can achieve their personal best. Success and happiness are about far more than academic achievement and we place an increasing emphasis on the development of complementary skills in our students.

Our students are well-prepared to advocate for themselves, thanks largely to our well-established student advisory program introduced in Grades 7 to 9. They also learn to optimize their time and energy, building essential time management skills. Mulgrave students go into their post-secondary life with an arsenal of 21st century skills that will support them as they continue their journeys.

Mulgrave students gathered on their West Vancouver campus.

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sponsored report

Shawnigan Lake school

Q

Shawnigan Lake School has recently developed its hockey program. What prompted this focus on high-performance hockey?

A

We are always looking for new ways to improve the experience we offer our students. Our new on-campus arena will maximize ice time and allow athletes to focus on skill development and high performance. Shawnigan is also the first independent school admitted to the prestigious Canadian Sport School Hockey League, giving our teams the chance to compete with some of the best programs in western North America. And, as Canada’s Boarding School, it is only natural that we provide top tier exposure to Canada’s Game!

Q A

At a time when competition for student enrollment is ever-increasing, the hockey program has already paid dividends, with 30 students joining our family in the last 12 months. They are first-rate athletes, to be sure, but more importantly they are fine young men who have embraced the Shawnigan philosophy, and whose presence on campus benefits our entire community.

What are the goals of the expanded hockey program and how do they fit into the school’s overall vision?

Our long-term vision includes plans for three boys’ teams and the development of a girls’ program. We want to give families a unique opportunity to complement the value of a Shawnigan education with a top-tier hockey experience. All the strands of a truly “complete education” are pursued, with academic excellence at the heart of everything we do.

One of Shawnigan Lake’s hockey teams celebrates a win.

In the 2012/2013 academic year...

• Enrolment in independent schools increased by 3.4% • Enrolment in public schools decreased by 1% • A total of 74,051 students were enrolled in independent schools Source: Enrolment Comparing Public and Independent, Federation of Independent School Associations British Columbia

• Over 2 million students were enrolled in Canadian postsecondary institutions, up 1.1% from the previous year Source: Canadian Post-Secondary Enrolments and Graduates, 2012/2013, Statistics Canada

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sponsored report Tips from the Classroom

The first 15 years of your life determine the next 50 years.

What’s Most Important When Choosing Your Child’s Education?

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• Complement quality academics with well-rounded and highcalibre extracurricular offerings • Prepare your child for independence at a boarding school venue

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THE The best shops, fashion, beauty, design, travel & fitness

Private Practice when the champagne bottles are empty and the streamers have been taken down, it’s time to get real about those New Year’s resolutions. But the stats aren’t good: only eight percent of us actually follow through on getting fit, eating better, or adopting teen orphans. Our advice: start with small changes that can easily become lifelong habits.

First up, skin care (aka taking care of your largest organ). The industry is rife with parabens, phthalates, and synthetic ingredients dying to sneak into your body. Dr. Roebuck’s, which the good doctor’s daughters, Kim Devin and Zoë Kelly, recently brought to Canada, has ingredients you can literally eat (beeswax, grapefruit seed extract, chamomile) and prices that won’t break the bank. That’s a resolution we can all keep.

Honeycomb: Repina Valeriya/iStock

From baby cream to lip balm, none of the Dr. Roebuck’s all-natural skin care line (from $9.95) contains nasty chemicals or fillers. Available at Shoppers Drug Mart and Murale.

Shoppersdrugmart.ca, Murale.ca

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PERSONAL SHOPPER

Best Buys

Fresh Resolve Time to get a head start on your New Year’s metamorphosis. Here’s how by a ma nda ross

The Wasp Goldgarnet clutch (US$650) by CMPLT UNKNWN looks delicate with embroidered wasps in copper wire but acts tough as nails—or brass spikes—in vegan napa leather. Cmpltunknwn.com

Swing into spring with Banana Republic’s Fit and Flare polka-dot dress ($175), Side Swing leather pocket sweater ($110), Mini Flap leather backpack ($240), and Averie open-toe booties ($138).

Bananarepublic.ca

Three starte modern pendant

Engraved black glass flacons set the stage for Rouge Bunny Rouge’s phthalateand paraben-free unisex eaux de parfum in Embers, Cynefin, Tundra, Silhouette, and Silvan ($192 for 50 mls). Kiss + Makeup, 1760 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, 604-922-6292. Kissandmakeup.ca

Hang on with Vancouverbased Lover’s Tempo Floral Climber earrings ($26) in a mix of Swarovski crystals and glass pearls. Front & Company, 3772 Main St., 604-879-8431. Frontandcompany.ca

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FACE THIS: THESE WAFER-THIN “SIP OF GOLD” COLLECTION CHAMPAGNE TUMBLERS ARE LINED WITH 24-KARAT GOLD PLATE

($240 each, Sieger-germany.com)

MATERIAL WITNESS Three local designers and a lightbulb moment started ANDLight, where natural wool felt and modern LED technology meet in the Slab overhead pendant (from $575). Inform Interiors, 50 Water St., 604-682-3868. Informinteriors.com

Just like your fave T-shirt, toss the headband and ear pads of Urbanears’ Humlan earphones ($60) straight into the washing machine. Headphone Bar, 245 W. Broadway, 604-569-0694. Headphonebar.com

Get maximum curl and minimum pinch with Chella’s heated eyelash curler ($25). Londondrugs.com

Lotusland’s beaded cuff ($79) is handcrafted by Masai tribeswomen as part of a sustainable, poverty-free initiative. 18Karat, 3039 Granville St., 604-742-1880. Lotuslandimports.com

Made with German porcelain, platinum, or 24-karat gold, Faces

by Sieger is either champagne cooler, vase, or objet d’art (from $990).

Atkinson’s, 1501 W. Sixth Ave., 604736-3378. Atkinsonsofvancouver.com

Stem cells from plants firm and renew skin with La Prairie’s Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal eye cream ($270 for 20 mls). Holt Renfrew, 737 Dunsmuir St., 604-6813121. Holtrenfrew.com

Gutter Credit

MADE FOR WALKING Thanks to its shock protection system, the new black Blundstone brogue boot ($200) goes from easy city strolling to 30,000-foot hikes without missing a step.

The Australian Boot Company, 1968 W. Fourth Ave., 604-7382668. Australianboot.com

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MODEL CITIZEN

Personal St yle

Vancouver’s Ho Sun Hing Printers recently closed after a 106-year run, but its spirit lives on in vintage brass Chinese Linotype keys, rescued and reimagined as necklaces ($125).

Buenostyle.com

With every cent going toward HIV/ AIDS support, it’s time to buy MAC’s new Viva Glam lip gloss ($18).

Then listen to spokesperson Miley Cyrus’s cover of “Summertime Sadness” on the BBC’s Live Lounge. Maccosmetics.com

JACKIE KAI ELLIS BE AUCOUP BAKERY

it was 2011, and jackie kai ellis decided she simply couldn’t live with regret: Paris was calling and wanted to talk about her passion for baking. She listened, promptly shuttering her graphic-design firm and hightailing it to France to study pastry.

“My life changed; I began to understand concepts like ‘indulgence in the everyday,’ ” she says. Upon returning home, she opened Beaucoup Bakery at the crossroads of High Gallic flaky-crust fare and personal style.

Speaking of which, a diverse wardrobe is now essential: Ellis runs from business meetings and media appearances to parties and events—then back to Paris in January to lead her next Paris Tour (Theparistours.com).

What’s the most beautiful piece in your closet?

A Valentino dress with a floral pattern on black; it reminds me of old Dutch/Flemish still-life paintings.

List three things you always pack when you travel to Paris.

Ballet flats (Paris is best on foot), a phenomenal dress for evenings out, and an effortless scarf to double as warmth on chilly planes (and to add a little style to basics).

Favourite dessert?

Eating complicated pastries is part of my job. I love fruit in season, with a simple herb and topped with gelato.

We call the Marshall bar fridge ($449.99) the perfect place to store your New Year’s juice cleanse.

Future Shop. Futureshop.ca

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Your most cherished gift of late?

I recently got my first pair of hiking boots.

I was skeptical at first but just didn’t realize they would take me to such beautiful places.

Evaan Kheraj

What’s in your fridge?

Since I test in my kitchen, it’s always full of strange things: candied yuzu peel, pistachio paste, and a tarragon fennel pickle. What’s for dinner, you ask?

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OPENINGS

Versace Home Versacehome.com  La dolce vita and Italian opulence meet in Gastown at Canada’s first exclusive Versace Home boutique. Find custom-made furniture, bedding, lighting, and glassware from the Milan-based luxury brand. 310 W. Cordova St., 604-336-7390—Jenni Elliott

Goodge Place Goodgeplace.com

Escape to the unexpected beauty of Arizona’s High Sonoran Desert where guests experience eye - opening moments in the inviting comfort of Miraval’s casita-style accommodations. Discover a resort where insight is an amenity. Retreat With Purpose.

 This South Granville hub takes its eclectic British cues from owner Emily McLean’s 13-year sojourn in London.

MiravalResorts.com 888.655.3228

Now this side of the pond, McLean (with mother Pat, of World Mosaic Tile) offers her singular homewares alongside an in-shop florist, café, and rentable meeting space for creatives. 1523 W. Eighth Ave., 604-714-1133 —J.E.

SAVE $4 BUY TICKETS ONLINE

Pillows: Versace Home

PROMO CODE: VANMAG *ON REGULAR ADULT ADMISSION COURTESY OF:

VANCOUVERHOMESHOW.COM

PRODUCED BY

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FIELD TRIP

Nex t Destinations

Once Upon a Time A pocket of California still shelters restrained and elegant pinots by neal m c len na n it sounds like an oenophile’s version of a fairy tale: a secret land—far from evil influences—that produces the most magical wines.

Yet this enchanting place exists: from San Francisco, point your wheels north on the 101, and in a little over two hours, you’ll stumble onto the one winding road leading into the Anderson Valley.

It’s not just the wine that’s different here: the valley is an idyllic escape from the hustle and bustle, in the way that Sonoma was 25 years ago and Napa was 15 before that. Here you’ll find old-timers, descendants of the original settlers who created their own language (Boontling) at the turn of the last century, alongside the next pioneers, who moved in and began seriously planting grapes in the 1960s. And now there are newcomers who have started to erect small inns and locavore restaurants, all of which makes it a more attractive destination and simultaneously, some fear, foretells the end of the isolation that defines this special area.

SLEEP

Until The Madrones (Themadrones.com) opened, the quirky and still great Boonville Hotel was the only decent lodging in the valley. Cloistered buildings and courtyards house four tasting rooms featuring some of the best small-batch wines around, as well as a new owners’ cottage turned guest quarters.

There’s no daily housekeeping, but if that’s what you’re looking for, fancy-pants, Napa’s an hour east.

Tucked in the valley, it’s easy to forget that you’re only one mountain range away from the ocean, but the Elk Cove Inn’s (Elkcoveinn.com) Craftsman-style cabins frame the rugged Pacific smashing into the rocks in dramatic fashion. Bank on 35 minutes to drive

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F UN FA C T S Thomas Pynchon set his 1990 novel Vineland in the Anderson Valley

WILD WEST There are no traffic lights in the entire Anderson Valley

the 30-kilometre winding road to main town Philo (pop. 349).

EAT

When you have a hankering for a cabin operated by a couple from Normandy, there’s the rustic Coq au Vin (707-895-9255). Find Gallic staples (escargot, duck confit) prepared with no pretension in a room that’s permanently bustling.

Very cheap; cash only.

Table 128 (Boonvillehotel.com), at the Boonville Hotel, has the perfect wine-country vibe: chill servers, good food, great wine.

Served family-style, a different prix fi xe is inspired each week by, as they put it, “whim and season.”

After stints at Bouchon and Gary Danko, chef Patrick Meany

opened Stone & Embers (Stoneand embers.com) in the Madrones, the most San Fran of the valley’s offerings. The intimate space churns out artisanal pizzas from a woodburning oven and upscale seasonal fare like crispy cod cheeks—this place is definitely the it spot.

SIP

Jason and Molly Drew’s modest operations at Drew Family Cellars (Drewwines.com) produce what may be the area’s most elegant pinot— restrained with minerality—and arguably the state’s (and consequently the continent’s) finest albariño. Tasting room at The Madrones; winery by appointment.

Backed by the massive Duckhorn Wine Company, Goldeneye

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$

TO RECOGNIZE AN ATTENTIVE AND HELPFUL SOMMELIER, CONSIDER AN EXTRA FIVE TO 10 PERCENT OF THE BOTTLE PRICE ABOVE YOUR OVERALL TIP

(Cookinglight.com)

VETERANS DAY

Pioneer Navarro Vineyards has been growing grapes and producing wine since 1974 PICTURE THIS

For ocean views, head to the Elk Cove Inn, only 35 minutes by car from the Anderson Valley’s pintsize main town, Philo FAMILY TIME

Drew Family Cellars: Alanna Hale

All in a day’s work, Jason Drew routinely tests his pinot noir and syrah at Drew Family Cellars

(Goldeneyewinery.com) is the most Napa-esque of the operations (at well over 10,000 cases for the basic pinot), but the setting is gorgeous (great for picnics) and the singlevineyard pinots (the Split Rail Vineyard is exceptional) are memorable, if a tad pricey at $80.

Ledcor’s Cliff Lede bought the Breggo winery (Breggo.com) in 2009, then went ahead and bought the area’s famed Savoy Vineyard a couple years later. These are the most expressive pinots in the valley—or, according to Robert Parker

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Jr. a few years back, the “finest ever in the New World.”

Along with Husch, Navarro Vineyards (Navarrowine.com) makes up the old-school arm of area vintners. For starters, it grows everything from muscat to zinfandel to late-harvest riesling. But without these generalists, there would be no high-price pinots from the current crop of specialists, so pay your respects (and score a bottle of the amazing non-alcoholic gewürztraminer or pinot noir grape juice for the kids). VM

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NEW OFF-HOURS CLASSES AT BROADWAY’S LA BICICLETTA OFFER TOP-ATHLETE-LED SPINNING SESSIONS RIGHT INSIDE THE SHOP

S W E AT E Q U I T Y

Workout Plans

(Ride78.com)

Spokes Man Spinning tales of triumph most people walk away from competitive sports after college, but Jamie Armstrong isn’t most people. An all-star athlete in high school, he went on to play college basketball while studying kinesiology and competing in triathlons. With hundreds of races and five Ironmans under his belt, as well as cycling races in Europe, it’s no surprise people sought him out for workout advice. And so Method Personal Training was born.

At his West Vancouver boutique fitness studio, it’s the cult-fave spinning sessions that draw the spandex set. He keeps pace by adding on more classes, and in the new year, Method opens an indoor cycling studio in Kits—the latest in a clutch of new wheels-oriented gyms. Armstrong maintains that the accessibility of the sport is the key to its success: classes are open to all levels since “Anyone can turn the pedals over.”—Jennifer Elliott

WHERE TO GO

Eastwood Cycle’s new Moroccaninspired sanctuary in the heart of Gastown is perfect for beginners looking to ditch their training wheels.

Each candlelit cardio session exercises the mind and soul in 45 minutes ($25).

Eastwoodcycle.com

BRING FRIENDS

At Yaletown’s cool new Ride Cycle Club,

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instructors take committed spinners to the next level with a 55-minute fullbody workout ($24).

Ridecycleclub.com

BRING A DEFIBRILLATOR

Feast your thighs on Method Indoor Cycling’s road-specific spin classes.

Feel the burn in a 60-minute session ($25) at the new Kits studio. Methodpersonaltraining.com

THE BURN

480 CALORIES/HR*

* by someone weighing 150 pounds

John Sinal

BRING GRANDMA

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3

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G E T I N T O U C H W I T H U S T O D AY F O R A P R I VAT E A P P O I N T M E N T

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www.highburyliving.ca

This is not an ofering for sale. Any such ofering must be made with a Disclosure Statement. Prices are subject to change. E. & O.E.

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SPONSORED REPORT LOCAL

RESOLUTIONS

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Looking for a little extra inspiration this New Year?

Vancouver’s health and wellness experts weigh in on setting goals and seeing them through

RESOLUTION #1: Lose Weight OZONE FITNESS | ozonefitness.ca

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re you finding it easier to be loyal to Angry Birds than to your New Year resolutions? Join Ozone Fitness and gain access to Equilibrium: a personalized dietary program based on your food preferences and lifestyle choices. Closely monitored by a nutritionist and customized to incorporate your personal fitness program, meal plans and ideas are delivered to the palm of your hand in a userfriendly smartphone app. If you notice that your nutrient levels are low, make a visit to their onsite shake bar before your next workout.

Equilibrium adapts as you go, because Ozone recognizes that for serious change to be incorporated into your busy life, it needs to be easy and inspiring.

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IV WELLNESS BOUTIQUE | theiv.ca

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aletown’s IV Wellness Boutique has a knack for making the remedial feel glamorous. You’ve likely heard of their buzz-worthy intravenous services like The Hangover, a rehydrating process designed to make up for the damage done the night before, or The Burnout, created to boost your energy levels, but that’s just the beginning.

This month, their rapid weight-loss programs will help you overcome whatever imbalances have been holding you back. “Seventy-five percent of patients we see have previously lost weight but have gained it all back and sometimes more,” explains Dr. Heidi Rootes, one of four naturopathic physicians who work alongside two registered massage therapists and a registered acupuncturist (with an esthetician coming soon) to support your weight loss. Their process emphasizes stabilization and maintenance periods as seriously as the initial weight drop, allowing your body to reset and keep those extra pounds away—for good.

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ThroughConversation™ offers personal development programs that effectively improve emotional and physical health Our methodology will uncover the ways you unconsciously limit yourself and help systematically dissolve these self-imposed limitations • Alleviate emotional issues such as depression, anger or anxiety • Relieve physical problems such as migraines, insomnia or skin problems • Rejuvenate and refresh your mind and body • Create healthier relationships • Increase your performance and success

Our programs consist of ten sequential conversations spread over a period of 6-8 weeks Customized to your lifestyle Enrich your life and the lives of those around you

CALL US TODAY TO FIND OUT IF THIS POWERFUL PROGRAM IS RIGHT FOR YOU

Jean-Paul has shared some wisdom with me and it has seriously changed my entire perspective on life. The impact on me personally has been surreal – the way I’ve been interacting with other people, my listening has improved… all the angst, all that sadness, worrying about my place in the grand scheme of things…gone - Phillip

1- 800-936-1534 885 West Georgia St., Vancouver BC throughconversation.com

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SPONSORED REPORT

RESOLUTION #2: Look and feel your very best CHERYLN | cherlyn.ca

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e all set out to take better care of ourselves in January, but loyalty to a complicated skincare regimen can be a tough resolution to keep. Cherlyn Skincare is 100% naturally derived and free of perfume and harsh chemical preservatives. The Cherlyn line consists of a cleanser, serum and cream scientifically formulated to work together, making skincare simple yet highly effective. Start using the innovative botanical-based set containing naturally occurring alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) from bilberry, orange and lemon for smoother skin, to minimize the appearance of wrinkles and to promote a healthier-looking, more radiant complexion. Beyond its toxin-free composition, Cherlyn’s award-winning skincare line includes a pH-balanced cleanser that negates the need of a toner. Cherlyn Skincare products will leave you with more youthful and hydrated skin this winter and a more confident 2015.

Who’s Caring for your Spine? | kilianchiropractic.com

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Come in and have the health of your spine assessed Mention this ad and get

Initial Examination + 4 Digital Xrays

$75

After only a few weeks of using Cherlyn daily, I started to see a big improvement. My typically rough skin is now smoother and softer, the fine lines around my eyes have almost disappeared, and my uneven skin tone is now clear and bright. I have tried many different skin care products which didn’t improve the look of my skin, but Cherlyn actually lives up to its claims.

–Carolyn, age 42

$150 Value Dr. Trevor Kilian doctor of chiropractic

Kilian Chiropractic 604.688.0724 kilianchiropractic.com Unit 205-555 Burrard st. #2 Bentall Center

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OPENING JANUARY 2015!

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ENTER TO WIN 1 OF 4 90-DAY PASSES | 604-559-1321 info@ozonefitness.ca ozonefitness.ca

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Visit vanmag.com/contest for details.

CLUB HOURS Monday – Friday 6:00am – 11:00pm Sat & Sunday 8:00am – 10:00pm

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SPONSORED REPORT THROUGHCONVERSATIONTM | throughconversation.com

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ith the cold, wet winter months dragging on, it can become increasingly difficult to feel healthy, happy and fulfilled. As innately social creatures, our most powerful way to deal with many health, relationship and performance issues is conversation. By means of a naturally evolving dialogue, ThroughConversationTM founder Jean-Paul Gravel identifies the common thread that is negatively impacting various aspects of your life and ultimately keeping you from a happier, more productive self. In helping to remove the underlying issue, Gravel’s practice effectively tackles serious emotional restrictions and their physical symptoms, including depression, anxiety, anger and stress, leaving you equipped—and more importantly, motivated—to take on 2015 from a reinvigorated perspective.

Jean-Paul Gravel, Founder, ThroughConversationTM

The Weight Management Program combines nutrition and lifestyle coaching from a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN) with assessments and therapies from our Naturopathic Physicians, including:

CARRUTHERS & HUMPHREY COSMETIC MEDICINE | carruthers-humphrey.com

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s holiday mayhem winds down, January is the perfect opportunity to treat yourself. Whether that means a small, simple update or an extensive plan for the year ahead, the professionals at Carruthers & Humphrey Cosmetic Medicine can help you turn over a new leaf. Their caring staff offers a variety of cosmetic dermatology treatments for rejuvenation, maintenance and prevention, and beautification purposes, ranging from scientifically founded skincare regimens to blemish removal. They understand that inner confidence is the truest source of beauty and tailor their treatments to help you achieve exactly that. “The feedback our patients receive isn’t procedurespecific. They hear glowing reviews about their refreshed appearance and a lot of that is confidence-related. It really reinforces how visibly happy they are in their own skin,” shares Dr. Shannon Humphrey.

Drs. Jean & Alastair Carruthers, FRCPC

Metabolic and Hormone Assessments Food Sensitivity and Allergy Testing Keyrsten McEwan Registered Holistic Nutritionist

Gastrointestinal Health Maintenance Naturopathic Supplements

730–1285 W Broadway, Vancouver reception@integrative.ca 604-738-1012 | integrative.ca Dr. Shannon Humphrey, FRCPC

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SPONSORED REPORT INTEGRATIVE NATUROPATHIC MEDICAL CENTRE | integrative.ca

SCREENING COLONOSCOPY

SAVES LIVES

T

he Skin Centre at Integrative Naturopathic Medical Centre is the perfect example of their truly comprehensive approach to health care. Integrative’s all-encompassing team (including everything from naturopathic physicians to doctors of traditional Chinese medicine and nutritionists) recognizes that your January weight-management goals will impact other areas of your health. At the Skin Centre, a registered esthetician will develop a skin treatment program customized to you. With a dermatologically focused physician available for reference, your physical, emotional and biomedical needs—their emphasized ‘triad of health’—will be carefully supported. By dealing with side effects pre-emptively, and putting your optimal wellbeing first, you’re left to focus on what’s important: feeling your best.

RESOLUTION #3: Take charge of your own health OZONE FITNESS | ozonefitness.ca

I avaILabLE at CaMbIE SuRGERY CENtRE

Book your screening colonoscopy consult today!

f you’re looking to get serious about training, look no further than Ozone Fitness. Their results-focused team, composed of level-4 fitness instructors, certified nutritionists and knowledgeable physiotherapists, simulates the training resources of a high-performance athlete. Your commitment to your fitness is matched by their commitment to your results. With only 400 memberships available, this elite facility offers a calibre, exclusivity and unrivalled studenttrainer ratio that will keep you on the bandwagon through 2015.

CaLL 604.737.7464 TO L L- FR E E: 1 . 8 66.737.74 60 specialistclinic.ca

KILIAN CHIROPRACTIC | kilianchiropractic.com

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he New Year may inspire you to get active, but don’t forget the significance of sitting when taking steps to your improved physical health. Sitting has proven to be the most detrimental stressor on our spines. Not only is it a major factor in poor posture, it also contributes to degenerative spinal conditions such as neck pain, headaches, low back pain and sciatica. At Kilian Chiropractic, Dr. Kilian’s enthusiasm and passion for life will play an integral role in your 2015 health plans as he restores your body to its potential. His holistic philosophy of chiropractic care goes well beyond traditional back pain relief and his emphasis on whole-body vitality is made evident with patient education that sets you on the right path for overall health and wellness.

takE ChaRGE Of YOuR hEaLth IN 2015!

Ozone Fitness Level 4 Fitness Instructors

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SPONSORED REPORT CAMBIE SURGERY CENTRE | cambiesurgery.com

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f you’re over 50, being proactive about your health should include a visit to the Cambie Surgery Centre for a screening colonoscopy this year. The screening is recommended by both the Canadian and American Cancer Agencies for men and women alike. Colon cancer, the No.1 cause of cancer deaths in both male and female non-smokers, is ultimately a preventable disease. Ninety percent of colon cancer deaths can be prevented by the timely removal of polyps, a simple procedure available at the Cambie Surgery Centre.

The first step is booking your appointment. Their professional and courteous staff will be delighted to assist you.

Dr. Shannon humphrey, Dr. alaStair CarrutherS & Dr. jean CarrutherS answer your questions about today’s cosmetic advances & issues

This year, I want to make only one New Year’s resolution that will really make me feel and look better in 2015. What do you suggest?

- Beth B., Vancouver Commit to your skin.

Our skin is the largest organ of our body, and yet too often it is neglected. The new year is a great time to begin (or renew) a customized, evidence-based skin care regimen that will maintain and protect your skin and make a tremendous difference over time.

RESOLUTION #4: Stay on track with your 2015 goals THROUGHCONVERSATIONTM | throughconversation.com

T

here’s no time like the New Year to set self-improvement goals, but when it comes to implementing long-term change, willpower doesn’t always do the trick. According to the ThroughConversationTM methodology, most problems associated with our physical and emotional health stem from deeply rooted limiting beliefs. This 10-session program works to identify those selfrestricting barriers and dissolve them. By addressing problems at their core, you will gain more ground in your pursuit for better health and wellbeing. “ ThroughConversationTM identifies and deals with the root causes of issues so that they can clear up long-term—not just for the New Year,” says founder Jean-Paul Gravel.

Regardless of your age, your dermatologist can create an individualized regimen to improve skin radiance, reduce the rate that new sunspots are formed and slow down the degradation of collagen and elastic fibers. With ongoing use, high quality evidence-based cosmeceuticals can actually stimulate new collagen and soften the appearance of fine lines.

Look for products that may include antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E, retinol (vitamin A), growth factors, or AHAs (glycolic). It is also important to always include a broad-spectrum sun protection in your regimen with a minimum of 30 SPF. A good skin care regimen can be an easy, safe, and affordable resolution that you will be able to keep – and that makes a BIG difference bit by bit. Plus, it feels great.

– Shannon Humphrey, frcpc – Alastair Carruthers, frcpc – Jean Carruthers, frcsc

Suite 820-943 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC 604.714.0222 reception@carruthers-humphrey.com www.carruthers-humphrey.com

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S N A P C H AT T E R

 M A L COLM PA RRY

A b o u t To w n

“Young people were the least likely demographic group to volunteer. Today, they’re the most likely” — WE Day and Free the Children founder Craig Kielburger at the annual celebration

Hedley lead singer Jacob Hoggard and Rebekah Assels

Craig Kielburger and Jolene McCaw

PHIL ANTHROP Y

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Melita Segal and Orlando Bloom

WE DAY DINNER Oct. 21 Hosting the annual event again in their Southlands home, Lorne and Melita Segal greeted, among others, British screen actor Orlando Bloom, who recovered from a near-crippling 10-metre fall, and Jolene McCaw, a member of the billionaire Seattle clan, who will back WE Day celebrations that are to be held in her city

COMMUNIT Y

2 PROUD OF OUR CULTURES Nov. 21 Attorney General Suzanne Anton chose the Fraserview Banquet Hall, in her VancouverFraserview constituency, as the venue for multicultural performances, speeches by herself and Finance Minister Mike de Jong, a banquet, and an auction with the chance to dine with Anton yet again

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Actors Keegan Connor Tracy and Michael Eklund

Event organizer Asha Hayer, niece Eisha, and sister Kaajal

Jennifer Spence and actor/director/spouse Benjamin Ratner

TELEVISION

B.C. cabinet ministers Suzanne Anton and Mike de Jong

Parks commissioner John Coupar and Daljit Sidhu

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TV host/producer Zara Durrani feted top actor Ian Tracey

UBCP/ACTRA AWARDS Nov. 22 Some 650 screen actors and guests filled the Playhouse for a gala that named Ian Tracey best actor for his role in the Continuum episode “Second Last,” Sara Canning best actress for Remedy (“Scary Bears”), and Taylor Hill best newcomer for his part in the film Leap 4 Your Life

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 O 1 5

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14-11-28 9:15 AM

TIME FLIES

WHEN YOU’RE HAVING FUN TEN Y E A R S A G O , VAN C OUVER’S OWN C HEF ROB FEENIE W O N IR ON C HEF A MER IC A To commemorate the Battle Crab episode, Cactus Club Cafe is hosting an exclusive dinner where Chef Feenie will re-create his winning menu.

Y OU C OU L D W I N AN INV ITATION AT C AC TUS C LUB C AF E.C OM

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14-11-24 4:05 PM

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14-11-14 12:41 PM