We get more than our fair share of press releases in this age of hyper-communication but here’s one with a difference. We like it both for its clarity but also for its tone. And, as we’ve come to expect from someone who’s given so much to Vancouver as Bud Kanke, its class. In fact, kudos also to Mr. Motohashi.

Much more to come on Bud’s achievements soon.

Here’s the text:

Miku’s Sister Restaurant to arrive in Yaletown this Summer; Goldfish Seafood & Chops says goodbye

Goldfish thanks diners for years of loyal patronage

Vancouver, BC – Aburi Restaurants Canada Ltd, operating as Miku Restaurant, announces it will take over the lease of Goldfish Seafood & Chops, located at 1118 Mainland Street. A new restaurant with a different concept, named Minami, is expected to open in Summer 2012. Goldfish’s last day is Sunday, February 5, 2012, after completion of Dine Out Vancouver.

Miku is a celebrated Japanese restaurant in Vancouver, and is popular with both residents and tourists visiting the city. It is known for innovating the Aburi or sear-flamed style of sushi, which is the act of applying fire directly on the fish to enhance the natural flavours. This technique, paired with specialty sauces and non-traditional Japanese ingredients make the perfect complement to the unique taste of fish.

“We look forward to expanding the Miku brand in one of Vancouver’s most vibrant neighbourhoods and bringing Aburi to the Yaletown community in Summer of this year,” explains Takuya Motohashi, Vice President and Executive Chef of Aburi Restaurants Canada Ltd. “Bud Kanke is a legend in the restaurant business. It has been a pleasure working with him on finalizing the details.”

Kanke Seafood Restaurants has founded, opened, and operated 11 restaurants in the past 40 years. Kanke, who is now 72, is contemplating retirement. To assist staff and management with as smooth a transition as possible, the company is providing employees with a generous severance allowance.

“We wish to thank our many diners who have enjoyed their guest experience and supported and frequented Goldfish over the years,” says Bud Kanke, Proprietor of Kanke Seafood Restaurants Ltd. “I am very proud of our Goldfish Team and what we have achieved when we first introduced Yaletown to West Coast seafood cuisine with Pacific Rim flavours in 2007. It has been a great run.”

Kanke adds, “It is time to turn over the reins to the young passionate restaurateurs who can take the Vancouver restaurant experience to the next level. Mr. Motohashi is such a person. I wish him and Miku the ultimate of success in Yaletown.”

Sun Peaks Village is truly accessible, Tim Pawsey photo

How much fun can you have at an award-winning ski resort with a couple of dozen BC wineries in tow, more than a few good meals—and even some healthy outdoor exercise? Plenty!

Last week’s whirlwind trip to Sun Peaks Resort for the 14th Annual Winter Okanagan Wine Festival yielded more material than we could squeeze into our column in the North Shore News. If you check Sunday’s issue you’ll find a fun anecdote and a few Winter Wine Festival picks. But here are a few more thoughts and images to go along …

Nancy Greene Raine, supplied

It’s been a while since we last saw Nancy Greene Raine, now a federal senator, so it was pretty cool to catch up. Suffice to say, even though she’ll be hitting a major senior milestone soon, she hasn’t slowed down one bit. As mentioned in the column, she gets back from that other hill, down east to ski at Sun Peaks with no shortage of fans, who still show up for her weekend 1 p.m. impromptu get togethers.

Celebrating 50 years, Tim Pawsey photo

I wound up sitting next to her at dinner because husband Al Raine, who’s Mayor of now incorporated Sun Peaks (Canada’s only Resort Municipality), was tied up elsewhere. I’d forgotten quite what a dynamo she is. But I was soon reminded, as our conversation shifted rapidly from skiing to  education (Sun Peaks now has its own Discovery Centre for Balanced Education—the only one in Canada where kids take a ski-lift to get there), and to her work surrounding First Nations education reform, part of her role on The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples.

Then it was on to the question of certifying origin for Maple Syrup, a project she’s working on with interested parties on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. It seems there’s a real problem with bogus maple syrup, much as there was—and still is, some suggest—with fake icewine.

A delightful, ski-in village setting, Tim Pawsey photo

Sun Peaks really is quite magical, so much so we’d even be tempted to get on skis again. Now that’s a scary thought. But Ms. Greene makes it sound so easy. I’m sure she’d have no problem convincing us to forget about cross country. Maybe. Less a few pounds from now.

Guide Heather offers tips on building your own snow cave, Tim Pawsey photo

I did take time out to snowshoe, with the right equipment and properly escorted, by our professional guide, Heather. This was two hours well spent, a good workout. And even though we didn’t really wander that far from the village, we did experience a good variety of terrain, with a few slopes thrown in for good measure. Along the way there’s also a chance to watch and learn about chickadees and a sip of hot cider at the warming hut. Yet one more example of just how accessible Sun Peaks is, and of the wealth of activities it offers. Last time we went dog-sledding, also a lot of fun.

No shortage of activities, and plenty of room, Tim Pawsey photo

We did notice fewer international visitors this time, compared to the last time here, some eight years ago—a sure sign of the economic times. But there’s no shortage of fancy real estate, though at decreasingly fancy prices.

Find good pints post tastings at Morrisey's

Regardless, this truly unique winter wine festival adds up to one of the best of its kind, so everything pretty well sells out.

Even though a well planned build-out, that will bring more accommodation is ongoing, the overall strategy is to never build too much housing that will ever permit the hills to become overcrowded. Smart. The village itself has a pleasing, intimate  sense of scale, with nowhere ever far from the centre of the action.

Sun Peaks turned 50 on November 18th. 2011.  If you’re on the hill you might bump into some of the original skiers from Tod Mountain days. You can tell them by their ‘Sun Peaks Antiques’ badges!

Delta's hot tub, still the best seat in the house, Tim Pawsey photo

In short, we can’t say enough good about this family friendly resort, which is BC’s second largest ski area. If you haven’t visited it’s time you did—either in winter of summer.

But you might just want consider next year’s Winter Wine Festival (January 16-20, 2013) as one of the best times to go. Sun Peaks is about 4 1/2 hours drive east of Vancouver, and within easy reach of Kamloops airport, as well as Kelowna and Vancouver airports, all of which have connecting shuttle services to the resort.  Make plans at sunpeaksresort.com or the winefestivals.com

Many thanks to Tourism Sun Peaks and the BC Wine Institute for organising our trip and for hosting us.

And, just because there is room, here are some more wine picks other than those already mentioned in the column, equally well worth chasing down…

• Hester Creek Cabernet Franc 2009

Made with fruit from some of the oldest vines in the Okanagan, this turned out to be the hit of the Winemasters Dinner (along with the Rollingdale icewine), paired with Delta’s superb bison shortrib. Plummy and peppery notes on top with red fruit and spice wound up in a very accessible, plush tannin palate through a lingering finish. (89) $26.99

• Rollingdale 2006 Pinot Blanc ‘Sweet Tooth’ Icewine

Owner Steve Dale (who could teach a few a few things to some standup comics we’ve heard) generously brought three cases of this for the Winemasters dinner, from only about a couple of dozen made. It’s an extraordinary nectar. All stainless steel fermented, it has intense peach and tropical tones, moderate acidity, is wonderfully viscous with extraordinary length and sweetness mod acidity only 20 or so cases made. It’s a rarity: $149.99 for  375 ml.

• Cassini Cellars Viognier 2010

A fruit forward style of Viognier with tropical notes on top followed by quite textured mouthfeel, pineapple and gentle citrus with a crisp, clean finish. A knockout with Sun Peak’s Globe Café & Tapas Bar’s five spice chicken. (91) $19

• Stag’s Hollow GVM 2010

The GVM stands for Grenache (66%), Viognier (23%) and Marsanne. “We opted to press off the Grenache as white,” says Stag’s Hollow’s Larry Gerelus. On the nose there’s a touch of citrus followed by what starts out as a simple entry but builds into a surprising, structured and very stylish complexity with stonefruit and lemon notes to a clean end. Also superb with Globe’s chicken  (89) $27.99

• Black Hills Alibi 2010

Made from 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Semillon: green-gold in the glass, some waxy, floral and citrus notes on top, with dominant citrus up front before juicy mid palate acidity beneath stonefruit and lemon to a lengthy close. A truly well balanced wine. (91) $25

• Summerhill Organic Riesling 2009

Already showing a nicely developed petrol nose with some obvious mineral hints, floral on top with green apple and citrus wrapped in juicy acidity on the palate (89) $19.99 (BCLS)

• Summerhill Organic Syrah 2008

From an Okanagan Falls vineyard, overlooking Skaha Lake, these grapes come from vines grown off cuttings from Nichol Vineyard (Naramata), which were the first Syrah vines planted in the Okanagan: varietally correct, meaty gamey nose, chocolate black fruit earthy notes. Good weight on the palate, spicy and peppery; intensely fruited but not extracted; medium tannins with a little heat in the close. (89) $39.95

• Black Hills 2009 Syrah

Black fruit and earthy, dusty notes on top with some meaty hints; forward notes of black cherry, blackberry and mocha on the rounded palate with supple tannins and a generous, lengthy close. This inaugural Syrah from Black Hills already suggests great things to come. (90) $35

• Fort Berens Meritage 2009

The big surprise with this wine was its unofficial pairing with fermented black garlic (which has almost a quince jelly like quality) at Sun Peaks’ very worthwhile Asian fusion bistro of the same name. The fruit (70% Merlot, 25% Cab Sauv and 5% Cab Franc) is from Black Sage. Vanilla and black fruit notes on top, with a smooth palate of cassis and plum. Quite plush with firm tannins through a long close. (89) $28

Black Garlic Bistro prawn spring rolls with mandarin cilantro dip

Opening night 'tinis courtesy Gibsons, Tim Pawsey photo

It’s just a couple of weeks until Tales of the Cocktail on Tour rolls into Vancouver, Feb 12-14, to no doubt repeat its highly successful inaugural show from last March. Not familiar with this pretty awesome salute to the wood? Read all about last year’s here.

This year’s program is greatly expanded.

From the 2012 release:

Time to pin one on

Held once again at the stunning Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, the festival continues to grow with several new events including five tasting rooms, Meet the Maker, a specialty coffee bar and the Mott’s Clamato Caesar Bar. Toasted at events throughout the four days will be Jacob Sweetapple’s Roaming Buffalo Punch, the official cocktail of Tales of the Cocktail® on Tour Vancouver 2012. The Vancouver mixologist’s bourbon, Cointreau and cognac concoction was chosen by a panel of cocktail experts from more than 50 submissions by Canada’s most accomplished bartenders.

For what adds up to a real deal if you’re an aficionado (and even if you’re not), $195 US gets you access to a three day whirl of samplings, seminars and schmoozes with the brightest and best of spirits luminaries from home and abroad.

Click here for full details, program and online registration

 “The water was not fit to drink. To make it palatable, we had to add whisky. By diligent effort, I learnt to like it.”

(Sir Winston Churchill)

Robert Burns, still the world's most celebrated poet

For just a moment—horrors!—the wine geek within had me pondering what to drink with Haggis. A crisp, clean Riesling perhaps? Or, how about a rustic red, maybe a budget Syrah, to pick up on all those gamey sheep bits?

Thankfully, at this point, common sense (or my Scottish grandmother, from the Great Beyond) prevailed.

“Sassenach!”, I’m sure I heard her hiss …

First of all, it wouldn’t be a true Burns dinner without a decent Haggis, which these days is getting harder to find. However, we’ve done well by North Van’s British Butcher in the past, which just happens to have Haggis available year round—should you feel inclined to make it part of your regular diet. (We checked: they have “a few hundred pounds still” but they are “going fast.”)

Then you’ll need some serious whisky for the address and the various toasts.

We like some hefty peat—and it definitely has to be single malt, by the way—so we tend to steer to one of our lifelong faves, such as shy and retiring Lagavulin or Talisker.

As to what to actually drink with your Haggis, it might sound like heresy but if you plan to be able to stand, not only for all the toasts but also at the end of the night, a good beer chaser makes sense.

Heather ale, from a 4000 year old recipe

This year it could well be Fraoch Heather Ale (BCLS $4.30, 500 ml.), which we discovered at Monday’s IVSA Vancouver tasting, and which we think would be a good fit with what can sometimes be a strongly flavoured dish.

Aside from reputedly being brewed since 2,000 BC (it’s true: they have carbon dated bottle caps …), this ale’s quite intriguing, as flowering heather is added to the brew, which is later also cooled on a bed of fresh flowers. Floral, though not as much as you might think, it’s actually quite herbed and spicy. Then again, we’re thinking they might have tweaked the recipe just a tad since the Celts.

It should be just the ticket with the ‘Great chieftain o the puddin’-race!”

Happy Burns Night!

And if you’re wondering about the origins of Haggis …

Related: Majestic haggis of the glens proves elusive for US tourists

Wild Haggis by StaraBlazkova (licenced under CC 3.0 Attribution Share-Alike licence)

A truly tasty, healthy budget bite ... Tim Pawsey photo

A few weeks before Christmas we dropped into Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks to take a peek at what’s hot in the culinary book world. And, as usual, we wound up picking up a couple of things that would make fun gifts—but somehow we forgot to give them away.

One was Len Deighton’s French Cooking for Men (Harper Collins $21.95, hardcover). As we wrote in the Courier, it’s “… a delightfully, tongue-in-cheek sexist and absolutely jam-packed primer from the prolific writer, (complete with easy to follow comic-style strips) for the aspiring man-chef in your life. Seriously, this may well be the best ‘back to basics’, no-nonsense French guide we’ve seen.” 

The other book we didn’t mention at the time because it’s in French—although still really easy to follow.

Sardines en Boîte, by Garlone Bardel, is a little book (literally, about 4 ins. sq.) from the popular Marabout collection (Hachette).

It’s sardine-can-packed with good and healthy ideas for the little fishies, from canapés and small plates to main courses, pizzas—and even a couple of veloutés—offered in extremely easy to prepare recipes. There’s even a few cross-cultural tastes thrown in, such as spring rolls, keftas and maki. But no sardine ice-cream. Quel domage!

Yes, we know: there’s nothing like fresh sardines, if you can get them—but most of us can’t that easily. Plus, even though this mini-tome is all about sardines, you can easily substitute anchovies. And we do … occasionally.

Perfect (anchovy) pissaladière ...

Currently we’re big on making a variation of pissaladière—sometimes with sardines, sometimes with anchovies.

We’re also inclined to cheat a little in the name of convenience. Instead of making pâte brisée from scractch, we buy ready-made, wholewheat pizza dough (from Bosa Foods), which we halve to make the thin crust that we want.

Right now it’s a toss-up as to which version we prefer. The caramelised onions are a delicious foil to the sardines, which take on a milder flavour when baked, while the saltier anchovies (that also play wonderfully with the onions and baked black kalamata olives) are more faithful to a classic pissaladière. The best version so far combines both sardines (Portuguese) and anchovies—a can of each!

Whatever your preference, either one works well with an inexpensive Syrah Grenache such as La Vieille Ferme, a good Minervois or any dry rosé.

If you’re looking for a true budget bite, this delicious, cheap and easy treat is hard to beat.

Last week it was fun to see people’s reactions to the latest Zagat Survey.

As the Vancouver editor, I’m deeply involved in sorting through the immense amount of data that goes into compiling the reviews and, hence, the final scores. What might not be apparent to the casual observer is that no review gets past the barrage of data wonks, editors and fact checkers unless it accurately reflects the Food / Decor / Service rating shown. Also, the system in place (in Vancouver’s case for some 15 years or more) allows for a pretty precise picture over time of who’s dependable—or on the other hand, who’s not.

Vancouver is notorious for the ‘flavour of the month’ syndrome—the tendency by critics of every kind to focus solely on what’s new—often at the expense of long established, and often far more noteworthy subjects.

In that vein, I’m re-running here a comment I made in last week’s Courier column:

“The online world is a wonderful place that affords equal opportunity to the wise and otherwise. Case in point: last week’s announcement of the latest Vancouver Zagat Survey results (full disclosure: I’m the local editor).

The big news? Scott and Stephanie Jaeger’s Pear Tree restaurant on the Burnaby side of East Hastings attained a near perfect food score (29/30), which propelled them to the top of the culinary charts. Hot on their heels came Le Crocodile, Vij’s, Kingyo and Bishop’s.

Watching the subsequent Twitter feed, one comment caught our attention: “Le Crocodile and Bishop’s are still a thing?”

I was tempted to engage but didn’t. As creatures of habit, we all like to think that everyone shares our excellent tastes, so it’s easy to be subjective in these matters. But that fleeting snort had me wondering if the tweep in question had even bothered to cross the threshold at either one of what are among a handful of enduring, flagship Vancouver rooms that consistently merit not only local but international acclaim-and thrive rather than merely survive for a reason. It’s to the Pear Tree’s credit that it was vaulted over the perennial frontrunners-not to mention Vij’s and Kingyo, who also scored highly.

Foie gras terrine at Le Crocodile, Tim Pawsey photo

Having experienced both in the last year, we can guarantee that John Bishop’s local and organic kitchen continues to be at the fore of the sustainable food movement that he instigated. And Michel Jacob’s unswerving demand for detail-driven plates and service maintains Le Crocodile’s reign as the city’s leading French room.

If they didn’t rate, something would be truly awry.”

Trafalgars / Sweet Obsession owners Lorne Tyczenski (l) and Stephen Greenham with their composter. Tim Pawsey photo

Calling all restaurateurs!

When it comes to how you dispose of your garbage, if you have even the slightest hint of a social conscience (and from my experience most do), this one’s a game-changer.

What if you could forget about filling that dumpster with all kinds of garbage every day, reduce your organic waste by around 90 percent (or more) and generate usable top soil almost overnight, that could be put to good use growing more food?

A couple of  forward thinking Vancouverites are doing just that. And, as we saw for ourself the other day,  the results are nothing short of spectacular.

A truly dramatic reduction

Lorne Tyczenski (l) and Stephen Greenham with all that's left of one week's garbage, Tim Pawsey photo

In just four months since installing a South Korean built GreenGood GC-50 composting machine last September; and adopting a comprehensive, closed loop composting and recycling program, Vancouver’s Westside Trafalgars Bistro and Sweet Obsession Bakery (** below) have eliminated their industrial dumpster. Previously. it was emptied four times a week. Now, thanks to the machine (which is about the same size of a standard, full size home freezer) the two businesses produce barely enough landfill waste to fill one regular garbage bag a week. That’s well less than half a regulation City of Vancouver household pick-up bin.

Owners, Lorne Tyczenski and Stephen Greenham embarked on their quest to find a more efficient way to handle waste after talking with Inner City Farms, the Vancouver based urban agriculture collective that, through its Urban Lots program, facilitates growing vegetables, fruit and culinary herbs in (esthetically pleasing) residential spaces.

(While others are pursuing collaborative composting programs, as of last week, Trafalgars was the first and only area restaurant to have installed its own machine.)

Restaurant waste: A major landfill problem

In the U.S., restaurant food waste makes up about 14 percent of landfill, although waste food related products overall could be as much as half.

“We produce a lot of organic waste,” says Tyczenski, who notes that restaurant waste accounts for a large proportion of landfill.

The owners originally looked into a water based system that inoculates garbage with bacteria to break it down into grey water— kind of like a giant, sophisticated garburator.

“But—even though it’s city-approved—all that material still goes into the sewer system. We didn’t feel that (by taking that course) we would be properly handling our own problem,” he suggests.

After implementing a sorting system and involving their staff of some 40 people in the process, they opted to purchase the specific model of GreenGood composter  that would be capable of handling the two companies’ waste stream.

Garbage (2,000 lbs) in. Soil (350 lbs) out

“It takes all of your organic matter, including everything from floral arrangements, to some paper—even most bones—and turns it into usable soil in a matter of hours,” says  Greenham.

The machine takes the bacteria and enzyme inoculated organic matter and ‘digests’ it with highly torqued arms turning the material over frequently.

“The machine removes about 80 or 90 percent of the moisture, which is the real problem here,” explains Greenham.

The end result?

“We put in over a ton (2,000 pounds) of material a week (between the bakery and the bistro)—and 350 pounds comes out,” he says. In addition, the company works with Urban Impact to effectively handle its recyclables.

In just 24 hours, the soil produced is ready for use

The clean and very usable soil is picked up weekly. And it’s currently being put to good use, building up the soil quality at East Hastings Community Garden.

Added benefits? No mess, no smell and no rodents. Plus, you become a lot more aware of what you waste and what you actually use

“It’s really a ‘no brainer; We’re taking all of our organic waste and putting it back into the soil—and, in effect, back into the food chain,” say the owners.

Interestingly, though, the restaurateurs aren’t interested in being called ‘Green,’ which they feel is term now too overused.

“It’s not that we’re ‘green;’ we’re just being responsible. We’re dealing with the problem and not off-loading it on somebody else,”  say Greenham and Tyczenski, who would like nothing more than for other businesses to follow their example.

Sure, but …

How much does all this cost?

“We didn’t realise until we’d done it just how much sense it made,” say the owners, who expect $25,000 system to fully pay for itself over about two years—three at the most—as they were paying rental and collection costs of just under $1,000 a month for the dumpster now removed. The electricity to run the machine costs around $100 a month.

Used cooking oils are recycled separately, as is cardboard, although a good mix of unbleached paper products also goes into the composter, to help the breakdown process.

The only things that have no place to go, except to the landfill, are items such as used ball-point pens, elastic bands, drier debris (from the in-house laundry) and (ironically) twist ties.

The Trafalgars / Sweet Obsessions owners have every reason to be proud. But their main interest now is to encourage other businesses—especially restaurants—to follow suit.

We couldn’t agree more. In fact, there’s a pretty nifty home model of GreenGood (aptly nicknamed the “Red Dragon’) that we might even have to get for ourselves.

**

From the press release …

About Trafalgars Bistro and Sweet Obsession Cakes and Pastries 

Trafalgars Bistro is a cozy, informal, award-winning Ocean Wise restaurant with a modern French menu located in Vancouver at 16th & Trafalgar.  Chef Matthew Villamoran’s style embraces French classical techniques, Italian processes, high quality ingredients, using sustainable products from the Pacific Northwest.  Two doors down, Sweet Obsession Cakes and Pastries is a bakery and café with patio, serving up fine desserts and savoury snacks of uncompromising quality using no stabilizers, preservatives, and no artificial colour or flavourings.  Owners Lorne Tyczenski and Stephen Greenham have created their bistro and bakery with a farm-to-table philosophy supporting local organic farms that share their passion for sustainability, simplicity and seasonality.  The Westside favorites have been neighbourhood fixtures since 1993. 

eTap burger: worth a bite, Tim Pawsey photo

Let’s be right up front here. We can probably count the number of burgers we eat in a year on one hand or, at most, both. Even then, a few of those fingers would figure for some cooked on our trusty mini-Weber Q100 (the best-ever, veritable propane-sipper of a barbecque).

When we dropped by for a quick look at Ensemble Tap (990 Smithe St., Vancouver; 604-566-9770) the other day, we weren’t anticipating to be wowed by Dale MacKay’s take on America’s favourite comfort food.

The Hired Belly was all set to test drive, say, the home-made sausage trio, the clams and chorizo, the Reuben sandwich—or just about anything else on this globe trotting, casual list—when our friendly server says, “Do the Tap Burger. It’s great! Plus it’s today’s feature and it comes with a glass of Ensemble lager for $18.”

“Who makes the lager?”

“Big Rock.”

Done!

The first thing to understand is that this sibling within Scotiabank Theatre complex offers a deliberate contrast to owner-chef Dale MacKay’s small-plates driven, original Ensemble, barely a couple of blocks west of here.

A good range of taps

Ensemble Tap lives up to its name with a worthy cavalcade of a dozen or more craft taps, ranging from Phillips Blue Buck and Russell’s Black Death Porter, to Driftwood Farmhand, Howe Sound Father John’s Winter and Gouden Carolus—for which a group of us returned to do due diligence this past Friday.

If you can’t find anything to tempt you there, or just want to wander further afield, there’s a line-up of serious bottled beers (about 40), which will no doubt continue to grow.

But back to the house-ground Tap burger. It arrived, pretty simply, with a smallish but just-right sized pot of medium bronzed Kennebek fries, beside a substantial dill pickle on a chequered paper.

Moist, sure, but super tasty, Tim Pawsey photo

The only thing possibly missing was a paper bib… While definitely one of the tastiest, this was also just about the most moist assembly we’ve encountered in some time, mainly thanks to the patty.

Never mind. It was perfectly cooked, still flavour packed and yes, really juicy, mingled with caramelised onions and mushrooms, stacked with Swiss cheese, Bibb lettuce leaves, just a couple of red onion slices, and tomato, and with a piquant swath of house-made horseradish sauce to top things off. The bun, not sweet or too crusty, was fresh and puffy. It was a truly tasty flavour combo—so much so that I was tempted reorder it when we returned.

Ensemble Tap house made sausage trio—even more nutritious with Russell Black Plague Porter; Tim Pawsey photo

As mentioned, we did go back with friends for a broader sampling—including the house-made sausage trio (of caraway, Thai, and smoky barbecue spices). It’s a hearty, simple platter on a board, with lashings of grainy mustard and a perfectly baked, nicely dense giant pretzel. While three nicely textured sausages are good for sharing, my preference would be for two with a small salad added in. But I’d order it again the way it is.

Tapped out with a few TVs ...

A few quibbles: it’s draughty (especially when the door opens). The feel is unabashedly industrial—clean lines but a lot of hard surfaces make the room’s acoustic really unforgiving: Even when not full, it can be shout-worthy loud. (Some judicious baffles would go a long way to making the space more user friendly. Upstairs seems quieter). And if you’re even remotely allergic to TVs (14 in all), you’ll want to sit facing the wall on the opposite side from the bar! But for Canucks fans with taste it’s a great spot to catch a game, with some good brews. Guaranteed, you won’t miss a play!

Overall, though, I like Dale MacKay’s more casual take at his new place—a room that’s been a challenge for others to-date. There’s no shortage of down-to-earth, moderately priced ($8-$28 but mostly under $20) good dishes here—and the beer selection has upped the ante in a part of town that definitely needed more.

Here’s a quick menu summary from the opening release:

“Other Modern Comforts include Slow-Braised Pulled Pork Nachos with Housemade Aged Cheddar Cheese Sauce and Sweet Corn, Jalapeno Peppers and Cilantro; Dry Thai Chicken Wings with Kaffir Lime and Chili Oil, served with an exotic and otherworldly Dipping Sauce; Full Rack of BBQ Pork Back Ribs braised in Dale’s signature BBQ Sauce and Beer until falling-of-the-bone-tender, then grilled and served with Honey-buttered Cornbread and Crunchy Apple, Cabbage and Carrot Slaw.  Dale’s much-loved and Top Chef Canada Challenge-Winning Pulled Pork Sandwich – so popular on the ensemble restaurant and bar menu – appears on the ensemble Tap menu also – growing proportionately and adopting a side of Baked Beans and a cup of trademark ensemble Kennebec Fries.”

Worth noting—though not part of Dine Out—Jan 20th to March 4th, Ensemble Tap has an all-day and evening ‘Taste of Tap’, three course $29 menu (with $15 optional beer flight, three 8 oz. pours) that should be worth a visit.

http://ensembletap.com/

As some folks may know, in our role as the local editor for Zagat, (backed by a great team in New York) we’ve been working for the last few months on the latest Zagat Survey, that encompasses key players in Vancouver, Victoria, Vancouver Island, Whistler and the Okanagan Valley. Well, here’s an exclusive look at the main results, (you’ll need to scroll down) at Zagat Google +

…Along with a pretty nifty backgrounder on Zagat Buzz

As usual, most of the attention (fair enough)  is focused on the winners, the Zagat ‘Top Lists’—those restaurants with the highest scores, either in specific Food, Decor, Service categories, ‘Most Popular’, or across the board.

As Zagat says, “The (full) content is available exclusively at ZAGAT.com and via Zagat’s suite of mobile apps. The Survey covers 299 restaurants as reviewed by 2,255 local diners in the Vancouver area, including Vancouver Island, Victoria, Whistler and the Okanagan Valley.”

However, also worth noting are the market findings that Zagat announces in conjunction with the numerical results. Here they are, ranked in an order we feel might of interest in particular to BC diners:

‘Green’—as in environmentally responsible dining. 

The Hired Belly has long believed that BC is at the forefront when it comes to the growth of farmers markets and increasing awareness of the need to nurture local producers.

Zagat’s numbers support this:

“64% of surveyors say locally sourced, organic or sustainably raised food is important.”

Celebrity Chefs

We also know that Vancouverites—and maybe west coasters in general—have little time for the celebrity chef syndrome. No, we’re not going to list them here, but you can pretty well count on one hand the star chefs who came here (either in person or via branded proxy) over the last two decades, sparkled briefly and who have since left.

Zagat  says:

“According to 59% of surveyors, having a celebrity chef in the kitchen has no effect on their dining decisions.”

Internet Reservations

Just in case you were wondering about the influence of the likes of Open Table… on line resos have almost doubled, compared to last year.

“This year, 39% of reservations are made via the Internet, up from 21% in 2010.”

And, be sure to mind your mobile manners

It seems that one out of two people don’t like you paying more attention to your PDA or cell than them.

Zagat finds “50% say it is “rude” to text, tweet, call or e-mail at the table—although 89% consider it “OK” to take pictures of food, companions, etc.”

So who are the big winners? You might be surprised.

From the release:

Winners:
Vancouver: Pear Tree in Burnaby (Food and Service) with a near-perfect 29 on Zagat’s 30-point scale for Food; Downtown’s Five Sails (Decor); Keg Steakhouse & Bar is Most Popular.

Victoria/Vancouver Island: Brasserie L’Ecole in Downtown Victoria (Food); Empress Room (Decor); Camille’s (Service); Sooke Harbour House is Most Popular.

Whistler: Rimrock Cafe (Food); La Rúa Restaurante (Service); Araxi (Decor and Most Popular).

New: The Survey welcomes a selection of restaurants in the Okanagan Valley wine region, located 200 miles east of Vancouver, where restaurants – some open seasonally – feature local wines and regional cuisines.

Top Newcomers in Vancouver (in order): 1. Nicli Antica Pizzeria (Gastown), 2. Ensemble Restaurant (Downtown), 3. Meat & Bread (Downtown), 4. Hawksworth (Downtown) and 5. Tableau (Downtown).

Best Buy: Sandwich shop Meat & Bread in Downtown Vancouver is this year’s Top Bang for the Buck.

Dining Out: Vancouver survey participants report dining out an average of 2.8 times per week.

It pays to remember that these scores are not PR or media driven and that they directly reflect the diners’ experiences. There’s also a pretty exhaustive system applied that ensures the review corresponds with the scores achieved—and that any ‘creative’ voting is weeded out.

Disclaimer: Tim Pawsey (aka the Hired Belly) is the local editor for Vancouver, Victoria & Whistler Zagat Survey.

Cutting edge: Haywire and Bartier Scholefield vial samples, Tim Pawsey photo

Yesterday we took time out from our pre-holidays deadline whirl, and Zagat Survey wrap-up (hence the lack of posts here), to catch lunch with the Okanagan Crushpad gang and consulting winemaker  Alberto Antonini.

His best quote of the day was:

“If I was a yeast, I wouldn’t want to spend my life in stainless steel!”, which led to an update on OCP’s new concrete eggs, in service at the now fully operational winery.

The other, equally memorable but more troubling comment was that the life of the average commercial vineyard (read chemically farmed) is now considered to be about 20 years. Needless to say, Antonini, whose method is to be as non-interventionist as possible—reminds us it really is “all about fruit integrity.”

Lunch was in ‘the garage’ at Edible Canada at the Market. If you haven’t seen it yet, this is a very functional, casual private room, created by a glass garage door that neatly closes off the noise, but not the light, from the main bistro and kitchen. Could be the town’s most exhibitionist dining room—next to Yew, of course.

General comments:

David likes his rosé, Tim Pawsey photo

• Bartier Scholefield 2010 Rosé gets better every time we taste it. Looks pretty too. Lovely salmon colour in the glass, raspberry earthy notes on top. But, “Really, who cares about descriptors?” asks the (ever unbiased) David Scholefield, who notes:

“It’s dang delicious!”

“The best use for Gamay.”

and, above all,

“Rosé you can gargle with” …

—and an excellent match with Edible’s winter frisée salad, arguably the best use of frisée ever, thanks mainly to its lashings of lardons.

The wine is $25-ish at Private Wine Stores in BC.

Edible Canada scallop and smoked tomato vinaigrette, Tim Pawsey

• It was also good to revisit Haywire Switchback Pinot Gris 2010, ($23-ish PWS) which has become more textured, citrus toned and mineral-y complex, with some zingy acidity, all of which served to bump the wow factor on Edible’s Qualicum Bay scallops with peppy chorizo and an assertive, wonderfully smokey tomato vinaigrette.

We’re thinking we’ll be back. Very soon.