Restaurant business

Vancouver Listel’s Chris Whittaker Goes Even Greener with Forage

November 9, 2012

Reinventing a legendary room is never easy but when the Listel Hotel decided to close long running O’Doul’s, the move afforded no shortage of opportunities. In 10 days or so they’ll pull the wraps off forage (1300 Robson St, 604-684-8461), a smaller and considerably more casual space than its predecessor, but with a personality and […]

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BC Liquor Control & Licensing Branch Lays its Heavy Hand on Charities

October 27, 2012

Ah, the joys of spontaneous journalism! Our column in this weekend’s North Shore News went to press too late to acknowledge the BC Government’s action—or rather statement of intended action—to modify the use of a Special Occasion License for charity auctions of wine or other alcohol. According to CTV, the minister responsible, the Honourable Rich […]

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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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Vancouver’s Tap & Barrel Proves Quality Keg Wines Are Here to Stay

August 2, 2012

We owe a debt of thanks to Blasted Church’s Brent Hayman for being the first to give us the heads up on the burgeoning tap wine business, earlier this spring. He introduced us to Steve Thorp and Mike Macquisten at Vancouver Urban Winery, who were just bottling kegging their first FreshTap batch of Blasted Church Hatfield’s […]

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White Spot Celebrates Grown in BC—Both on the Plate and in the Glass

July 15, 2012

Been a bit churlish, we have, of late towards BC’s beloved burger-monger and family resto chain White Spot—due mainly to the presence of its large chicken mascot on BC Ferries the other weekend. (White Spot supplies a portion of BC Ferries food requirements…) Somebody in the Twitterverse took offence when we suggested (in jest) the […]

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BYOB for BC? It’s Just a Matter of Time. (Updated) – It was!

May 25, 2012

UPDATED – JULY 19, 2012… Well, that was quick. The BC Government has approved BYOW (as in Bring Your Own Wine). Read the full release here The program is optional: i.e. No restaurant is obliged to allow patrons to bring their own bottle. And the amount of corkage charged will be at the resto’s discretion. […]

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Cactus Club at English Bay. Quintessential Vancouver?

May 17, 2012

The first time I came to Vancouver was for my sister’s wedding. Like so many, I was immediately smitten by the city and its spectacular setting. Friends had lent us their 40′s era apartment, which overlooked Kits Beach, and I slept in the living room. When I woke up and looked out the window on […]

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Wines of Argentina presents Dish ‘n Dazzle – May 16th

May 9, 2012

Taste superb food and wines, have some fun & support a worthy cause! As regular visitors may know, we’re involved with the BC Hospitality Foundation. This charity provides last chance financial assistance for people in the hospitality and associated industries who are coping with hardship arising from a serious health-related condition. If this sounds a bit […]

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Where Will You Dine Out on Earth Day? Green Table Can Point the Way

April 21, 2012

Earth Day, April 22nd, arrives tomorrow. But how Green are we, really? Year round, that is. If you’ve sifted through these pages you probably know by now that we’re fully behind most things sustainable—and are committed to the notion that we all need to change our behaviour a whole lot more. Ultimately, though, that pressure […]

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When the Good News is All Garbage: Composter is a Game-changer

January 17, 2012

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 […]

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