Recently I attended the opening of the GRAIN Tasting Bar in the Hyatt Vancouver.  GRAIN is a place right up my alley, serving up awesome craft beers along with inventive cocktails your sure to find something that will satisfy your thirst.

The space has been completely remodeled and the result is a beautiful, spacious interior with lots of natural wood touches and a set of unique folding windows that open completely bringing the feel of a patio with the sound of the people walking down Burrard Street.

The menu features delicious cheeses from Little Quallicum Cheese works and Oyama Sausage as well as seafood from Skuna Bay Salmon as well as Albion Fisheries.  All of the meats and cheeses were absolutely delicious, I enjoy both Oyama and Little Quallicum Cheese Works a lot and would recommend them to anyone.

Executive Chef Thomas Heinrich and Food and Beverage Manager Michael Halloran really have put some great food options as well as tasty drinks. Some of the signature drinks I tried were the Bangkok Mule made with Crown Royal whiskey, yuzu juice, ginger purée and simple syrup, the Ginger Pear Martini made with Okanagan Sprits pear brandy, Domaine Canton ginger liqueur and fresh pear, the Vanilla Sky made with Canadian Club Whiskey, fresh lemon juice, egg whites and vanilla extract.

GRAIN is a space that I would suggest to anybody looking for a few drinks and some good food without it being to heavy.  Stay tuned to my blog for a full review coming very soon.

Something that I love but generally don’t make at home is risotto, it really is a labor of love and if I did make it I wouldn’t have any leftovers!  When I was contacted by a local family owned business named Moccia & Urbani who have a product I was instantly interested in trying-RisottoBalls.  Moccia & Urbani are known for their handmade gluten-free salami’s and sausages, they supply some of the best restaurants in the city like YEW at the For Seasons Hotel Vancouver.

Using high quality ingredients like Carnaroli risotto rice, mozzarella cheese and containing no trans fat or MSG these are wholesome and something you can be proud to serve to your family and friends.  Only taking 17 minutes in a 425 degree oven RisottoBalls are east to cook up and the only thing you have to think of is if you need a dipping sauce or just enjoy them straight up.  RisottoBalls come in 5 different flavors:

• Mozzerella Cheese
• Italian Sausage
• Porcini Mushroom
• Tomato and Sausage Ragu Sauce
• Primavera Vegetables

All of the flavors were delicious but for me the stand outs were the Porcini Mushroom and the Tomato and Sausage Ragu variety’s.  After having homemade risotto balls before I can say that these are just as good, the rice is creamy and not overly starchy and the cheese is ooey and gooey-you know you have a hit when you take a bite and the cheese stretches a foot!

Each box contains 9 RisottoBalls and I’ve seen them at PriceSmart Foods for $7.99/box, they are also available at other stores nationwide but I suggest contacting Moccia & Urbani directly for locations by clicking here.  The great guy’s behind RisottoBalls have let me select 3 lucky readers here in Canada to have a selection of RisottoBalls sent to them so please let me know what your favorite flavor’s you would like to try, the contest will run from today May 20th, 2013 till NOON PST May 27th, 2013 and remember the contest is open to households in Canada ONLY and ONE entry per person.

**Disclosure-Moccia & Urbani sent me my RisottoBalls for review purposes, all opinions are my own but I did love them and think you will to!**

photo credit-the Food Gays

It’s spot prawn season right now and Executive Chef Thomas Heinrich has made them front and center of the new Chefs Tasting Menu. For this visit I joined the Food Gays Jeremy and Adrian to check out this menu and seeing it was our first prawns of the season we were excited! The pricing details are the same as the other Chefs Tasting Menu I posted-$45 w/o wine pairings and $65 w/ pairings, this time I decided to the wine pairings.

To start we were served an amuse bouche of a lightly blanched Spot Prawn with a Meyer lemon foam and some minute picked vegetables. With the sweet spot prawn and tang from the foam and vegetables this was a great way to show off the beautiful seafood and start the meal.

To start was the Spot Prawns Terrine with a fermented black garlic purée, fiddle head ferns and lemon fluid gel. Wine pairing for this was a Las Perdices Torrontes 2011 from Mendoza, Argentina. This was a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. The seafood was delicate and they didn’t have to use a lot of gelatine to set the terrine. When I took a bite with the black garlic purée and the lemon fluid gel it was a great mix of umami and tang that literally made my mouth water. The wine was light and crisp, it didn’t overwhelm the spot prawn and cut the strong flavor of the black garlic.

Next is a Spot Prawns and Arugula Salad with black radish, candied almonds and citrus caviar. Wine pairing for this dish was a Quail’s Gate 2010 Chardonnay from the Okanagan Valley. With the strong flavor of the arugula and the sweetness of the spot prawns and candied almonds this was a great change on the traditional prawn salad. Wine wise the Chardonnay was big in flavor as well but it worked beautifully with the arugula.

Getting into the heavier dishes on the menu we have a Spot Prawn Carbonara. Instead of pancetta Mosaic uses Gelderman Farms pork belly and the pasta is a handmade linguine, to top things off they add a perfectly sous vide egg yolk. Wine wise they have paired a 2010 Prospect ‘Rock Wren’ Pinot Noir from the Okanagan Valley. Having carbonara with seafood is something new to me as well as mixing seafood and cheese in pastas. When it was brought to the table my eyes lit up, the plate had so much going on in a good way. While me and Jeremy were snapping pictures Adrian couldn’t wait and dig in breaking the yolk. This type of pasta dish shows off simplicity at its best-great pork, pasta, spot prawns and cheese along with a few vegetables. The pasta was cooked perfectly for fresh pasta and the sauce was rich and creamy. The egg yolk was another level of richness like the pork belly that made this carbonara one of the best I’ve had In a longtime-it was a favorite with everyone at the table. Wine wise the red worked with the overall richness of the pasta dish and Is something I would order and pair with again.

How can you go wrong with Surf and Turf, Spot Prawns and Spring Creek Beef with pomme maxim and fava beans paired with a 2012 Finca Flichman ‘Misterio’ Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina. This classic combo was executed flawlessly, the meat was cooked medium rare and the prawns were nice and plump. The meat was juicy and very tender and the jus was nicely reduced. Pomme maxim is something I’ve never had before so I was happy when I saw it was crisp and pan-fried. Overall I lived this whole dish because it takes 2 great things and lets them shine.

To finish off the meal we had Tangerine consomme with cardamom ice cream. I took a few minutes to take this beautiful dish then I dug in. Blending bright flavorful tangerines with molecular gastronomy this dish takes a fruit consomme to the modern age.  They thickened the soup with agar so it had a slight thickness to it-just enough to keep the ice cream on top.  The flavors were bright and fresh with the tangerine and the mint in the soup then the ice cream’s richness rounded things out, the cardamom syrup was a nice touch.  This was served with something I had at my Chef’s Table experience, Gehringer Cabernet Franc.  With the sweetness and different level of fruitiness this wine was a perfect match to the consomme.  This again was a favorite dish at our table and it was a great way to end a superb meal.

At the end of the evening we were all really happy with our complete experience at Mosaic and it’s a regular place you’ll find me at-the food is delicious and the prices can’t be beat.  Dinner with wine came to just over $70 with taxes and this menu is only available till May 29th, 2013 so if you’re looking for some amazing dishes featuring BC Spot Prawns I highly suggest getting this tasting menu.

Ever since Jackie Ellis opened the doors to Beaucoup Bakery she has been going 1000 miles/hour, the place is packed everyday and people the creations from Valrohna Chocolate Brownie to the Pine Nut Croissant. To get ready for Spring Jackie took a trip back to where she got her training and the place that made her fall in love with everything pastry-Paris! The trip was amazing and I loved watching her journey through her Instagram posts.

The trip allowed Jackie to check out some of the freshest and hottest trends in desserts and pastries and it also sparked her creative passions. The result is the Spring Collection of desserts, 6 unique pastry’s that each stand on their own from a decadence point of view and are sure to take you on a flavor adventure. Missing from my tasting was the Vanilla mille feuille, its undergoing final presentation tweaks and should be available soon.

To start we have the Summer Berry Orange Tart with summer berries, candied orange peel, a frangipane tart shell base that’s filled with an orange pastry cream. Fresh berry tarts are a favorite of mine because when there done right the fruit shines through and they aren’t to sweet like a piece of cake can be. When I was eating this the orange infused pasty cream stood out and then the base made from frangipane that was baked, it had a delicateness to it flavor wise.

Next up is the Raspberry Pistachio Macaron Frais with edible flowers, gold dust, fresh raspberries and filled with Sicilian pistachio cream. The macaron was perfect and it worked great with the pastry cream. When I dug into this beauty I was in heaven, the pastry cream had a richness like the orange cream in the fruit tart an is some of the best I’ve ever had. With the addition of the fresh fruit it made this fresh and on the lighter side. Jackie also makes this in a larger size that is available by custom order.

Something that was missing from the menu was a mousse cake. Beaucoup has created the Cassis Blackberry Lemon Cake with candied violets, gold dust, blackberry, glaze, cake in cassis syrup and violet cream. The texture of this was extremely light and airy and packed with flavor. You got the lemon right away then the fruitiness of the blackberry. Overall this was the lightest in way of texture of all the desserts I tried.

Featuring very bold flavors is the Chocolate Passion Fruit Bar with hazelnut, apricot, a dark chocolate glaze and a crispy hazelnut base.  This bar looked really simple until I took a bite, the chocolate and passion fruit really came through.  As I savored my bite the perfect balance of this dessert really came through, the chocolate hit 1st then the tart passion fruit which dissipated quickly.  Overall this is my new favorite dessert at Beaucoup and is something I would recommend to anyone who likes a chocolate dessert with a tart fruit component.

Finally we have the Black Sesame Religieuse.  When Jackie saw the different religieuse in Paris she knew that it would be something to bring to Vancouver.  This creation has nougatine, fondant with sesame and choux filled with black sesame cream.  Now this dessert is either a love it or hate it thing, the sesame is on the savory side and reminiscent of the Chinese glutenous sesame balls I’ve had before.  The beauty of this creation is something that you can’t deny-that black sesame wafer reminded  of a hat on a lady.  Each of the choux pastry spheres are filled with a rich and creamy black sesame pastry cream that was unlike I’ve had anywhere.  If you’re a fan of peanut butter desserts or things that aren’t overly sweet I would totally suggest this.

Overall I loved all the Spring Collection desserts Jackie has created.  Each creation stands on its own in the flavor, presentation and inventiveness department and will put a smile on your face.  You can get these creations now at Beaucoup Bakery and Cafe and something to note is that Beaucoup is now open Mondays!

1) 2nd Celebrity Chef Throwdown

Last year David Rocco (Donut Showdown) charmed Global BC and ET Canada Host Erin Cebula with a Spaghetti Carbonara dish he whipped up in 20 minutes against competitors Chef Rob Feenie and Bob Blumer (World’s Weirdest Restaurants). This year, witness Rob Feenie return to challenge Anna Olson (Bake with Anna Olson) and Trevor Bird (Top Chef Canada season two finalist) to the official EAT! Vancouver kick-off event. Only one will win Judge Erin’s approval. Don’t miss the live competition action on Friday, May 24 at 7:00pm on the Food Network Celebrity Stage.

2) Bites of Vancouver, presented by CTV

Bites of Vancouver returns to tempt attendees with appetizing dishes from over a dozen local restaurants at no more than $4 per plate. Explore Café Kathmandu’s Nepali Potato Salad and Rice Flakes appetizer, Dunn’s Famous Smoked Meat Sandwich, and finish off with Beaver bites & fro yo from Beavertails Pastry: this is just one of many 3-course meal combination options guests can create for themselves over the weekend.

3) Wine, Beer & Spirits Tasting Pavilion, presented by Flavors and 24 Hours Vancouver

Where the thirsty foodies hang out! Featuring some of the best wine, beer, and spirits that BC and the world has to offer, sample luscious products and learn from the experts on the Grapes & Hops Stage. With the festival open until 9:00pm on Friday and Saturday, get your pre-party sampling on here with other aspiring aficionados.

4) Regal Kidz Kandy Korner, presenting Tootsie Pops®, Dubble Bubble® and Candy Blox®

How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll® centre of a Tootsie Pop®? Can you blow enormous bubbles? Did you know it was ok to play with your candy? Regal Confections will present these three fun competitions for kids ages 5-12 on the International Culinary Stage on May 25 and 26, 1:30 – 2:15pm. Join us for a chance to win fun and delicious prizes! Don’t forget to check out other famous candy at Regal’s booth at EAT! Vancouver: PEZ®, Tootsie Roll®, Rockets® and Ring Pop Gummies®. Also, be on the lookout for the Regal candy girls who will be handing out sweet treats!

5) Food Network Celebrity Stage, presented by Food Network Canada, Weber, and Country Golden Yolks.

The most popular stage at EAT! Vancouver, the Food Network Celebrity Stage hosts our favourite TV personalities. Check out Chef Chuck Hughes, Food Network Celebrity Chef, Spice Goddess Bal Arneson, Anna Olson of Bake with Anna Olson, Vancouver’s own Iron Chef America champion, Rob Feenie, and more to learn tips and tricks from the hottest hosts on TV.

6) Weber Canada turns up the heat

Can you smell the barbecue on the grill? Join Resident Chef and spokesperson Naz Cavallaro, a.k.a. “BBQ Naz,” on the Food Network Celebrity Stage for some grilling action. Whether it’s homemade pizza or the perfect burger, check out Weber Canada’s newly redesigned gas and charcoal grills and accessories to suit your grilling needs. All advance ticketholders will be included in a draw to win a Weber barbecue, valued at over $1000.

7) ALL BUT GLUTEN™ on the International Culinary Stage

Weston Bakeries presents ALL BUT GLUTEN™ at EAT! Vancouver, their new lineup of gluten-free baked goods and one of the first product lines to be certified by the Canadian Celiac Association’s Gluten-Free Certification Program. Registered Dietitian and world-renowned gluten-free diet expert Shelley Case and Personal Chef Ashton Lauren will show attendees how easy it is to make healthy, gluten-free meals.

8) Culinary Classes: The Sharp Side of Culinary Techniques – Knife Skills, presented by Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA)

Following the lead from PICA’s expert instructors, learn how to sharpen the perfect knife, mince garlic, chop and keep fresh herbs, and the easiest way to cut an onion. You’ll be sharpening your skills in no time! Learn hands-on culinary foundations from five different classes throughout the festival.

9) BC Chef’s Association Culinary Art Show and Competition, presented by Vancouver magazine and Western Living

The competitions continue on Saturday May 25, where competitors from the high school level all the way up to the professional level strut their stuff in the cold display Grand Culinary Salon Competition, and the artistic, architecturally complex showpieces in the Chocolate Competition.

10) SuperChefs Cookery for Kids

Who says kids can’t run the kitchen? Join the SuperChefs Cookery for Kids on the International Culinary Stage, where local restaurateurs and students of the SuperChefs Cookery for Kids will teach children how to make their own food. Demonstrations include “Marvelous Meatballs and Tasty Indigenous Treats” with Chef Andrew George, “It Hasta Be Pasta – Traditional Pasta Making for Families” with Giulio Caravatta and Rina Busse, “The Art of Sliders and Creative Crepes” with Chef Victor Bongo, and “Making Old-World Handcrafted Gelato for Kids” with Gelato Master James Coleridge.

EAT! Vancouver takes place on May 24, 25 & 26 at BC Place Stadium and will feature over 250 exhibitors. More visitors than ever are expected to attend over the three-day weekend. Tickets are $16 for adults ($14 online), $14 for seniors, and $9 for youth aged 13-16. Children 12 and under are free.

For information and tickets please visit www.eat-vancouver.com

Recently I was lucky enough to attend one of the most memorable meals of my life at a private Chef’s Table experience cooked by Executive Chef Thomas Heinrich, it was absolutely amazing and I’ll be doing a post soon about it.  Since the dinner people have been asking how they can have an experience like this for themselves and on response the Hyatt Regency Vancouver has given Thomas the freedom to create his own 5 course rotating Chef’s Tasting Menu for $45 w/o wine pairings and $65 with the vino.  To kick off this menu and also because I had some other business at Mosaic Chef Thomas Heinrich let myself and Melissa try 4 of the 5 dishes on the debut menu.

To start off the meal we had the Windset Farms Cucumber Gazpacho with a ginger coconut gelee.  When this was brought to the table we both commented on the beautiful presentation, the little pink bits were pieces of watermelon radish and because of the gelee they were beautifully suspended.  Upon taking my 1st spoonful I was hit with the clean flavor of the cucumber along with a flavor of the gelee, the star of the dish was the cucumber and the gelee made up the focus of the rest of the dish for me-the texture and mouth feel of it demonstrated a nice use of molecular gastronomy techniques.

Next is the Chilled Dungeness Crab Cannelloni with an English Pea puree, Meyer lemon, mint and topped with Skuna Bay Salmon Caviar.  First your struck with the beauty and delicateness of the plate then when you dig in the flavors are just as delicate.  The earthiness of the peas mixed with the sweet crab was something that I’ve never has and worked really well.  With the homemade pasta being nice and al dente along with the greens and pop from the caviar this was an extremely enjoyable dish and I could have easily had another!

For the main we swooned of over the Slow Roasted Lamb.  The Chef has taken delicious New Zealand lamb and added mustard and fennel streusel along with a pomegranate gastrique.  This was not only beautiful but had the flavor to back up the beauty.  The lamb was roasted to a prefect light medium and had a beautiful sear on the outside.  To add some texture the streusel and wafer on the plate was a great idea, the streusel had a flavor of stuffing.  Adding a sweet and sour element was the gastrique, a great idea using pomegranate and when mixed with the rich jus I was in heaven with every bite!

To showcase the start of Spring the Chef has gotten his hands on some 1st of the season rhubarb and something that I had at the Chef’s Table-green strawberries!  The Braised Rhubarb with white chocolate meringue, ginger infused green strawberries, ginger, green almonds and Rice Krispie crumble was Spring on a plate.  The flavors of this dessert were bright and fresh with an overall lightness with all the fruit used.  When I 1st had green strawberries I thought something was wrong with them but when I took a bite I was pleasantly surprised with the sweetness and a touch of tartness and a slight ginger flavor, the rhubarb was braised in the liquid that flavored the strawberries which worked well with its tartness and added a great sweetness along with the white chocolate.  On the plate were green almonds, this is something that was included on just our plates-the Chef lucked into a small amount from his forager and graciously included some on the plate, the regular version of this dessert has pink peppercorn.  The green almonds were crunchy like a vegetable would be and were very moist, getting into them takes a lot of work so getting a handful of them is a chore.

We both loved all of our dishes, the flavors were all amazing and letting a Chef have some creative fun on a menu is a fun thing for a foodie.  The whole Chef’s Tasting Menu is an amazing value at $65 with the wine pairings and I’d recommend it to anybody, it’s available till May 16th, 2013 when a completely new menu will be introduced.  I’d like to give a huge thanks to Chef Thomas Heinrich and the Hyatt Regency Vancouver for the great dining experience.

**Disclosure-The Hyatt Vancouver covered the cost of our meals because I was there for other work purposes, these dishes were a surprise for us and I was not expected to write about them but am because it’s an amazing menu.  All opinions and experience are completely my own.**

Wineshare is Vancouver’s first custom winemaking project that gives wine lovers an opportunity to be involved in the planning, harvest, production and branding of their own wine. Partnering with Vancouver Urban Winery, a 7,700 square foot facility in the city’s Railtown neighbourhood, Wineshare has developed a hands-on, personal winemaking experience for amateur vintners. Wineshare uses premium quality fruit from the region and is led by professional winemakers, right in the heart of Vancouver.

“Most wine lovers and enthusiasts have dreamed of making their own wine at one time or another and I’m no exception,” says founder and Four Seasons Vancouver sommelier, Emily Walker. “I wanted to learn about winemaking by working in the vineyards and with winemakers to understand the decisions that go into making wine. It’s as much about the process and philosophy as it is about the final bottle of wine.”

Thanks to geography, experience and great relationships, Wineshare has the advantage of drawing on world-class fruit from neighbouring regions such as the Okanagan Valley, Washington and Oregon. Visit the vineyard, get your hands dirty at harvest, crush your grapes and fill your barrels. Wineshare encourages winemakers to get as involved as they want.

Wineshare is launching with a single project in 2013 and looking for up to twelve people to participate in producing a pinot noir from the Okanagan Valley under the guidance of Howling Bluff owner and winemaker Luke Smith.

Walker plans to triple the number of projects in 2014, working on different varietals from different regions, with different winemakers.

For full details visit WineShare.ca

A couple of weeks ago I celebrated my 36th birthday and it ended up being a memorable week of eating.  A couple of meals happened at the Hyatt Vancouver including a Chefs Table dinner but on my actual birthday-Friday, I wanted to come to Mosaic for the Mosaic Chocolate cake.

Since trying it here I’ve fallen in love with the Skuna Bay Salmon and since Melissa hasn’t tried it and she love’s tacos so an order of Skuna Bay Salmon Taco’s were a great choice.  They serve them with tomatillo salsa, guacamole and salsa roja.  The salmon was beautifully seared and the tacos were packed full of it, when I bit in I got the flavor of the salmon then the spices used.  I really enjoyed the sauces on the side and the guacamole is delicious.

The Chef surprised us with a sampling of caviar for 2 and some cheese as well.  The 1st two were quite mellow but the last one I ate (farthest up the plate) was the Skuna Bay salmon roe and was my favorite, the large eggs popped in my mouth the most.  The cheese was delicious but the winner was the jam or chutney which had a roasted onion flavor to me.

Melissa got the BLT (&A), thick cut bacon, romaine lettuce, vine ripened tomato, avocado and sherry aioli on multigrain bread.  With great ingredients how can you go wrong, the combination of the salty bacon with the creamy avocado, tang from the sherry aioli and garden fresh tomato made this an enjoyable sandwich.  As for the fries, Melissa ate everyone!

My choice for lunch was the Spring Creek Farms Angus Beef Burger with Garlic Fries.  They top the burger with aged white cheddar cheese and include a horseradish cream sauce and onion jam on the side in little jars, the burger is also on a brioche bun.  The presentation of this burger is beautiful but it lacked the fat in the meat to make it flavorful and everything a great burger should be.  When I bit into it the 1st thing I noticed was the need for a homemade ketchup or tomato jam and a homemade aioli, also the meat needs to be a 70% meat 30% fat distribution.  The fries were packed with garlic flavor and were beautifully crisp.  Please Hyatt Vancouver let Chef Heinrich create a new burger!!!

This was brought out to the table and we were both really surprised to get a WHOLE cake!  I’ve seen this when I was in for my VANEATS.ca Art of Taste dining package review and it’s listed in the E-Book listing free things for Canadians on their birthdays so let’s just say they go through a lot of these cakes.  This cake was enough for 4 people easily and its triple layers are filled with chocolate fudge inside so it’s super rich and worthy of a large glass of milk to go along with it.

Overall things were good for us off the lunch menu at Mosaic Bar and big thanks to the Chef and kitchen for sending out the caviar plate and the cake but the biggest thanks goes to Melissa for treating me to lunch-I couldn’t have a better Food Wife!  Melissa is in the process of writing a 3 part restaurant food photography edict series and she used her photos from lunch for part 1, check it out here-the pictures are AMAZING!

When I saw Smoke’s Poutinerie featured on Eat St. my mouth watered seeing all the delicious poutine’s coming out of the truck.  After initially watching the episode the excitement quickly grew when I saw they were franchising and 2 locations were set to open in Downtown Vancouver and in the West End by my place.  I made a stop at the Granville Street location seeing the West End one is still waiting to open and grabbed a special that caught my eye to go.

This is the Mega BBQ Mac’N'Cheese Poutine for $7.99.  They run different specials and this is the one for the time being.  When I opened this up I was completely disappointed and kinda disgusted that Kraft Dinner was in my poutine because the poster on the front window (it’s been removed now) showed the poutine with a traditional homemade looking mac and cheese and not KD.  When I took a bite I was expecting to taste the cheese from the mac and cheese but instead all I could taste was BBQ sauce, the cheese flavor was totally not there and I think they only used the pasta.  The gravy was alright but it was on the salty side and there could have been more of it.

Next I went back to Smoke’s and grabbed a Double Pork Poutine for $7.99.  How can you go wrong with classic poutine topped with pulled pork and bacon right.  This order I ended up taking home, when I made this visit the music in the restaurant was playing so loud you couldn’t have a conversation at the table AT ALL and the tables were literally vibrating from the bass in the music, he responded by slightly turning it down but still it was at a deafening level.

This poutine was more like fries in a box with stuff on top, once I ate the top layer I was left with greasy, soggy fries.  I really wish there was more cheese and that they mixed it in with the fries, the pulled pork was alright but was very sweet and tasted processed along with the bacon.

The overall experience at Smoke’s Poutinerie has been a disappointment, the food isn’t good and I think the local franchise here is giving the brand a bad name.  If you’re looking for some really great poutine head to Fritz on Davie and Granville or my favorite La Belle Patate and they’ll hook you up right.

Headliners on the popular Food Network Celebrity Stage include Spice Goddess Bal Arneson, Anna Olson of Bake with Anna Olson, Chuck Hughes of Chuck’s Week Off, and Vancouver’s favourite Food Concept Architect for Cactus Club Restaurants, Chef Rob Feenie.

Responding to the demand for more gluten-free exhibitors, EAT! Vancouver will highlight new vendors offering gluten-free options, cooking seminars and much more.

The BC Chef’s Association will present their Culinary Art Show and Competition. The Grand Culinary Salon Competition features dishes by aspiring chefs from high school to the professional level. In the Chocolate Competition, chocolate architects use their artistic skills to create decadent masterpieces.

While indulging in over 250 mouth-watering exhibitors, EAT! Vancouver attendees can also learn from experts on the International Culinary Stage and Grapes & Hops Stage, and explore culinary travel destinations at the World Culinary Travel Expo. The Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA) will return with their popular Culinary Classes where the public can up their cooking game from the school’s culinary instructors.

For all the candy lovers, Regal Confections will be at the festival delivering interactive presentations on the International Culinary Stage and handing out samples of their deliciously sweet products to festival visitors!

The Bites of Vancouver, Wine, Beer & Spirits Tasting Pavilion, and Cheese Seminars presented by Dairy Farmers of Canada, will showcase local restaurant menus, new sips from wine, beer and spirits vendors, and how to best prepare and eat Canadian cheese.

Returning features of EAT! Vancouver include:

- Food Network Celebrity Stage
- International Culinary Stage
- Grapes & Hops Stage, featuring wine and beer related seminars, food pairings, and tastings.
- The Bites of Vancouver Pavilion, offering appetizer-size plates from local restaurants.
- Wine, Beer and Spirits Tasting Pavilion
- The BC Chef’s Association Art Show and Competition
- The World Culinary Travel Expo
- Cheese Seminars presented by The Dairy Farmers of Canada
- Culinary Classes presented by Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA)

More visitors are expected to attend than ever before over the three-day weekend. Tickets are $16 for adults ($14 online), $14 for seniors, and $9 for youth aged 13-16. All advance ticketholders will be included in a draw to win a Weber barbecue, valued at $1000+.

For information and tickets please visit www.eat-vancouver.com.

All the details:
11th annual EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival
Friday May 24 – 2-9pm
Saturday May 25 – 10am-9pm
Sunday May 26 – 10am-5pm
BC Place Stadium, 777 Pacific Boulevard, Vancouver BC V6B 4Y8
Info and tickets: http://www.eat-vancouver.com
Tickets: Adults $16 ($14 online), Seniors $14, Youth 13-16 $9, Free for kids 12 & under

Facebook: Facebook.com/eat.vancouver
Twitter: @EAT_Vancouver
#eatbuzz

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