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 [...]
Julia and sardines—from My Life in France At least one loyal reader questioned my unabashed reverence towrds Julia Child (who would have turned 100 today) in last week’s Vancouver Courier column, suggesting that I had overlooked truly great culinary writers such as MFK Fisher and Elizabeth David. My response was that the column was as [...]
Not to pour cold water on Dine Out Vancouver’s impressive record, but we’ve always wondered why so many people wait for January to roll around, when there are other worthy dining deals on offer at all times of the year. Case in point: Bishop’s Harvest Table dinners (September 13th through October 20th), where [...]
The Hired Belly’s better half is lovingly referred to as Partner in Calories, who, for many years, has been making cameo column appearances. It was 'P-i-C' who first turned us onto Harry Potter, dragged our initially cynical self to the very first movie; and has since shared her passion for J.K. Rowling's truly [...]
The wraps are off at Okanagan Crush Pad, whose future has now been officially ‘hatched’. Literally. When Haywire Winery arrived last year, we said: “One thing we know for sure. Christine Coletta never does anything by half measure.” No kidding. Haywire announced then that it would build a winery in time for the 2011 [...]
My dear friend Elaine Savoie is a remarkable woman and very gifted artist (as well as a kick-ass organic gardener) who paints (among many things) wonderfully offbeat icons—ever so slight variations on the traditional Middle Ages style, inspired by her Catholic upbringing. Her work is extraordinarily detailed, vivid and full of life. ... [...]
One of Vancouver’s flagship restaurants, Diva at the Met celebrated its 15th anniversary last night with a gala dinner (benefitting Big Brothers) that featured an extraordinary array of culinary talent. The hotel business is by nature a mobile affair, where personnel—including those in food and beverage—move around frequently. Hence it was [...]
Vancouver’s been abuzz this past week with speculation concerning the imminent closure of what was supposed to be the long running extension of iconic lumiere and dbBistro, on March 13th. It’s a sad development, considering the role that lumiere has played in Vancouver’s culinary ascendance. We won’t ruminate too much—except to say that the [...]
D-Original Saucisson Sec, Tim Pawsey photo Just like a lot of people, we have a weekly habit of dropping by Vancouver’s Les Amis du Fromage. Not only does ‘Alice ‘n Alison’s’ boast the city’s most extensive (and best maintained) cheese selection but the chances areeven if it’s not cheese related but savoury [...]
A few tastings come around each year which we consider ‘don’t miss’ dates. Some are pretty obvious, such as when Penfolds senior winemaker Peter Gago comes to town, or Yalumba’s irrepressible ambassador Jane Ferrari. However, it might surprise you learn that another worthwhile event on our calendar has turned out to be the [...]