French Bistro

SYL at TWB – OK? Provence Marinaside Unwraps a Smart New Wine Bar

January 17, 2013
Alessandra and Jean Francis Quaglia: smartly tapped into changing tastes with their sleek new TWB, Tim Pawsey photo

We’ve always felt Provence Marinaside is one of Vancouver’s more under-appreciated rooms—but that might just be about to change with the arrival of TWB, which stands for (drum roll) The Wine Bar—at Provence. (We’re a tad over initial names but TWB is AOK for now.) Owners Jean-Francis and Alessandra Quaglia have turned what used to [...]

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Vancouver’s Le Parisien: a Worthy Tribute to the Original Café de Paris – Fall Menu update

October 27, 2012

Updated Oct 23, 2012. It’s not unusual for new restos to tweak things as they go along but we’re more than intrigued by Le Parisien’s just launched “petits plats”—a definite nod to Spanish tapas, with some excellent tastes from chef Tobias Grignon and team. No fiddling with the stalwarts —such as French onion fondue or [...]

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Zagat Encore: Believe me. Le Crocodile and Bishop’s are “still a thing”

January 23, 2012

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 [...]

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Tales of Tawny Port, Marmalade and Lawn Roller Stiltons at Les Amis du Fromage

October 24, 2011

A sure sign that Christmas and the holidays are right around the corner is the seasonal deluge of wine tastings, including not a few Port and Sherry offerings. The other night we went to one with a difference, put on by Vancouver’s Les Amis du Fromage. Full disclosure: I’m a longtime friend and customer of [...]

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Hermitage on Robson Moving On: To Make Way for More Bling

January 26, 2011

We reckon Hermitage—Robson’s romantic little Burgundian backwater—should be pretty busy over the next couple of weeks… After they’ve poured the last glass of Château de Chamilly Pinot Noir, and finished serving the profiteroles and chocolate sauce on Valentine’s Day, Hervé Martin and his long-serving crew will hang up the closed sign for the last time—at least [...]

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Vancouver’s Smoking Dog Bistro Returns to its Roots

August 19, 2010

If you can’t teach an old dog new tricks … maybe you should just go with what works Just how much does a restaurant always identify with its founder? Every time we wind up at Vancouver’s Smoking Dog Bistro we can’t help but think of its founder Jean Claude Ramond, the feisty, pint-sized but tough [...]

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