Barbara-Jo McIntosh: a truly welcoming touch, Tim Pawsey photo It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Vancouver’s Books to Cooks (1740 West 2nd. Ave., 604-688-6755). We’ve followed Barbara-Jo McIntosh’s progress since she pulled the wraps off the original Yaletown location on September 7, 15 years ago this past week. In 2005, Barbara-Jo upped [...]
Sea Cider: a wide range of styles, Tim Pawsey photo My first encounter with real cider happened at a relatively youg age. Not long after my 16th birthday, in a misguided attempt to beat the summer heat, I downed an ice cold pint of draught Somerset scrumpy—which was probably around 8 percent ABV, [...]
Winning wines, from one of the year's toughest contests: celebrating BC's best, Tim Pawsey photo This week’s announcement of winners of the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in British Columbia Wines marks ten years since the competition’s inception. Check out the Government House website and you can track the winners over that [...]
Smart decor, covered patio, Golden Mile vista. Works for me... TP photo Beyond test driving our Zagat equipped Acura, the main reason for last week’s Okanagan swing was to take in the Vinos and check out Black Hills snappy new tasting room—aka Black Hills Wine Experience Centre. Black Hills president Glenn Fawcett, [...]
BC Wines Stand Up in Global Tasting ... from North Shore News Several years ago, Quails Gate co-owner Ben Stewart did something unprecedented. He held a tasting of his wines at the Four Seasons Vancouver, mixed in with comparable drops from elsewhere in the world. When the wraps came off (it was a [...]
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 [...]
Our recent nod to the BC Liquor Stores Alsace promo just happened to coincide with the release of Joie Farm's latest crop of whites and ever popular rosé. And, as usually seems to be the case, right out of the gate, the Joie wines are an indication of what to expect for 2011 (overall, a [...]
Calling all hopheads: Tickets go on sale at midnight tonight for Vancouver Craft Beer Week (May 18-26) Can it really be a year already since the last VCBW? Already, VCBW has quickly become one of the town’s hottest tickets. Last year many events sold out faster than you can say ‘cheers!’ What’s driving [...]
Vancouver’s classiest cocktail salute is back with a vengeance this week. Judging by the weekend pre-show and first day’s activities, it promises to far outshine last year’s inaugural event, which was impressive—even more so considering it was the first run. Where cocktails and bartenders mix, even the most functional of activities is likely [...]
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 [...]