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 [...]
Robert and Margrit Mondavi, 2002. Tim Pawsey photo When I was looking for an image to run with this post (most of which appears in this weekend’s North Shore News), I input “Mondavi” into my Spotlight and the above is what popped up. In my mind, and I suspect for many others, California [...]
UPDATE: There are still a few tix to be had for this year’s Sun Peaks Winter Festival of Wine (January 12-20, 2013). Take a look at last year’s post and you’ll see it’s a lot of fun—particularly if you’re a skier or into any other winter sports. Sun Peaks is one of those ‘just right’ [...]
Siena: braised lamb filled ravioli, Tim Pawsey photo One of the hazards of writing “Best of” / “Year End” lists is that you’re guaranteed to miss one (or more)—even more likely if you’ve been waging a kleenex demolition derby against the lurgy sweeping through Vancouver these days. That said, here’s a greatly expanded [...]
Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut Thinking of buying some bubbles in the next few days? You’re not alone. By far the majority of Champagne quaffed during the year is consumed during the holidays—and the same goes for sparkling wine. Here in the swank surroundings of Hired Belly corporate HQ, while we relish the taste [...]
Pastis pot au feu—one of many reasons to lunch here... The Hired Belly is a push-over for hearty, winter dishes, such as the pot au feu at Bistro Pastis, (2153 West 4th Ave., 604-731-5020) which we more than did justice to last week, when the winter rains were sluicing through Vancouver; and flu was [...]
Buying wine by the case has its benefits, Tim Pawsey photo© Changes are happening at a rapid pace to the ways in which Canadians have traditionally been able to purchase and consume their wine. In Manitoba it's only a matter of days before the first Manitoba Liquor Mart will open in Pembina Safeway. [...]
TFP mussels and clams – the perfect wet weather foil One spot that’s an easy lure for lunch—particularly when it’s raining cats and dogs—is Yaletown’s The Flying Pig (1168 Hamilton St, 604-568-1344). There’s just something about this place, from its easy going ways and cosy room with a great buzz to the quality [...]
A quick roundup of under $20 great Portuguese table wine deals
Single malts: seeing the light, Tim Pawsey image I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m no single malt expert. But I do have an appreciation for them, thanks to a relatively early introduction to Scotch whisky as a young (almost legal) adult. Before leaving London I worked for my late uncle [...]