Sandbar Restaurant boat

This Dine Out venture to Sandbar Seafood Restaurant at Granville Island was a last minute decision.  It was also a lunch decision.  Did you know that many Dine Out restaurants have a lunch menu?  The lunch menu is usually at one price level below the dinner menu, and slightly smaller in portion.  The Sandbar lunch option for Dine Out was $18.  Very good value, for very good food and service I received today.

My lunch consisted of:

• Lemongrass Braised Short Ribs with 5 spice crushed peanuts, chili scallion relish
• 4oz Chateau Rib Eye Steak with Tiger Prawns, caramelized onion marmalade, creamed peppercorn demi-glace
• Spiced Pumpkin Cake with maple frosting

Braised beef short rib

My wine pairing was Quail’s Gate Pinot Noir (sorry I didn’t see the vintage as the wine was by the glass).  This is one Pinot I regularly enjoy from the Okanagan.  The wine had a bay leaf, earthy, cherries and raspberries on the nose, with a big bouquet of violets on the palate.  The high acidity of this wine really went well with the fatty braised short rib appetizer.  The earthy, full flavours of the short rib was a nice complement with the lifted pinot flavours.  The Rib Eye Steak with Tiger Prawn were very tasty.  I especially enjoyed the cedary smoky aroma imparted to the tiger prawn.  The Rib Eye steak was cooked closer to well than to medium well, but was still flavourful. The dessert, the spiced pumpkin cake was very similar in flavour to a carrot cake, but was a bit heavier.  The cake was served cold, and I thought that it might taste just that much better if it was warmed up a bit and maybe served with a bit of vanilla ice cream.

Tomorrow is the last day for Dine Out Vancouver, so go out tonight and tomorrow for dinner, and don’t forget about lunch tomorrow too.  Enjoy!

Tasting Plates Vancouver

Tantalize your taste buds at over a dozen fabulous downtown Vancouver restaurants at Tasting Plates Vancouver! This evening tasting extravaganza goes from 6pm until 9pm on Feb. 15, and is presented by Vancouver Foodster & Taste and Sip Magazine.

Participating restaurants will offer tasting plates of their food to the guests, showcasing their restaurant, their food and of course their skilled chefs.

If you are a vegetarian, don’t worry.  Most restaurants will have a dish suitable for you.

The participating restaurants this evening include:

• Phat Deli Yaletown
• Notturno Paninoteca
• Cosca Restaurant 
• Bonchaz 
• Footo Delights
• W2 Media Cafe (along with partners: Salt Spring Coffee and more)
• Leonadis Chocolate Cafe
• WE. Coffee 
• Juice Truck
• Soho Road
• Cupcakes

The event is a roving tour that will start off at the W2 Media Café at 111 West Hastings, from there you can visit any or all of the participating restaurants that are located all over downtown including Gastown, Yaletown and the West End by driving, transit or walking.  Here is a link to a Google Map showing the locations of these restaurants.

This info about their packages just came through my email today.   Enjoy!

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Burrowing Owl Winery Special Package Deals

For Immediate Release

February 1, 2012 (Vancouver, BC) – This spring Burrowing Owl Estate Winery is offering visitors three tempting specials. There’s never been a better time to plan your stay at this world-class wine country destination!

Valentine’s Day ‘Dine & Stay’ Package – Tuesday, February 14 2012

from $99 per person includes:

• A romantic dinner for two at the Sonora Room  Restaurant
• One night’s accommodation at the Burrowing Owl Guest House
• Add $40 for the “Sweetheart Package”, which includes a bottle of Burrowing Owl wine, long-stemmed red rose, rose petals, and chocolates waiting in your private room

Winter Getaway Package – from $126 per person

(check the website for details – some date restrictions apply)

• A three-course dinner for two at the Sonora Room
• One night’s accommodation at the Burrowing Owl Guest House
• Our fabulous “wine country” breakfast

Spring Blossom Package – from $145 per person

(check the website for details – some date restrictions apply)

• A three-course dinner for two at the Sonora Room
• One night’s accommodation at the Burrowing Owl Guest House
• Our fabulous “wine country” breakfast
• Package available Monday – Wednesday

For more information, or to make your reservations, please call 1-877-498-0620 ext.3.

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Burrowing Owl Estate Winery: Recently named one of the Top 10 BC Wineries by Wine Access magazine the winery is devoted to producing world-class wines using creative viticultural and winemaking processes that are in harmony with the unique ecosystem where the grapes are grown, which includes the northernmost tip of the Sonora Desert.

Burrowing Owl Guest House:  The winery guest house is nestled in the vineyard and has 10 tastefully-appointed rooms, each with a private deck and fireplace; There is also a 25 metre pool and all-season outdoor hot tub.  The Cellar Lounge is excellent for business meetings and special events.

Sonora Room Restaurant:  Opened in 2004, the winery restaurant overlooks 140 acres of picturesque vineyard from both the patio or inside the warm and inviting dining room. The philosophy of the culinary team is to showcase many of the South Okanagan’s local producers of local organic produce, fresh, seasonal fruits and artisan breads and cheeses. An exclusive wine list is changed regularly to include a selection of Burrowing Owl library wines that are no longer publicly available for sale. And, the wine selection is enhanced with alternate premium Okanagan wines chosen to complement the menu.

www.bovwine.ca

Spaghetti sauce with yellow and green bell peppers

Today’s Dine Out experience is at home, Chez Karl’s place. On today’s menu is:

• Cow and Goat’s Milk Melange cheese
• Spaghetti sauce with green and yellow bell peppers
• Clementine oranges

The appetizer, the Melange cheese, comes from Trader Joe’s in Washington state.  If you have never heard of Trader Joe’s, it is an organic grocery store chain.  The one I went to was in Bellingham, WA.  This is a hard cheese, white, with no rind.  It has a bit of the sharpness that you can get from goat’s milk, but is still very mild. Low amount of salt.

To pair with this cheese and the main course, I opened a bottle of Portia Prima, Ribera del Duero, DOC, 2007, Spain.  I picked up this bottle at the Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival last year.  It is made from the Tempranillo grape. Opening it and pouring it it in my glass with great anticipation.  It was opaque garnet.  Dark cherry, plum, leather, vanilla and some leafy aromas.  Full body with soft mouthfeel and low tannins.  Tobacco, cherries, plum, cassis and some vanilla, oak and leafiness.  There was some chocolate in the mid palate.  Long length with a peppery finish.  A very nice wine that has a good balance between fruit, tannins and acidity.  The Melange cheese just melted together with this wine.  It was an excellent appetizer pair.

Portia Prima DOC, Spain 2007

The spaghetti sauce was served on top of Trader Joe’s mixed cheese multi-coloured tortellini. The spaghetti sauce was full flavoured, but not spicy.  Made with ground beef, tomatoes, green and yellow bell peppers, long thin strips of onion, garlic and chopped celery and seasoned with marjoram and a bit of the Portia Prima wine. Marjoram  is related to oregano, but has a bit of a sweetness to it.  The richness of the spaghetti sauce tasted nice with the richness of the Portia Prima.

After a heavy main course, it is nice to finish it off with some fruit.  The clementines are from California. About the size of a golf ball but very sweet and without any seeds.  I’m satiated.  I hope you have a great dinner today too, whether it is at a Dine Out Vancouver restaurant or at home.  Cheers.

Hot and sour soup

Well I went to my third Dine Out Vancouver restaurant today with friends.  This time we went to Wild Rice, which is located close to the west edge of Chinatown.  It’s a short 2 block walk from the Stadium skytrain station.  The food for all 3 courses were all great, both for me and the others.  What I ordered:

• Hot and Sour Soup
• House Roasted BBQ Pork, Baby Bok Choy, jasmine rice
• Szechuan Chocolate Brownie

House Roasted BBQ Pork

To this I paired a glass of Rollingdale Pinot Noir, from West Okanagan.  The pinot noir has low tannins, light body, some violet aromas/flavours, and higher acidity, and thought it would pair nicely with the BBQ pork.

The hot and sour soup had just the right amount of heat for most people to handle.  I loved the slices of shitake mushrooms in the soup.  The House Roasted BBQ pork was tender and had a tasty sweet brown sauce.  This worked with the acidity of the Rollingdale Pinot Noir.  I wished it did have some crispy pork skin though. The Szechuan chocolate brownie was decadent, covered with a light chocolate sauce and crunchy ribbons of orange peels on top.  Enjoy with a coffee, or maybe port.

Szechuan Chocolate Brownie

I also was able to try some of the Salt and Pepper Tofu, Satay Sauce, Orange Braised Pemberton Beef, Drunken 5 treasure quinoa, and 5 Spice Carrot Cake with Ginger Icing. The panfried tofu with crushed chili flakes was accompanied by a peanut sauce mixed with some lemon grass.  A very tasty dish.  The Pemberton Beef came shredded, reminding me of pulled pork, but with a beefy flavour.  Very succulent.  The 5 Spice Carrot Cake was very gingery and tasted wonderful with the cream cheese icing.  I could have eaten a few plates of these carrot cakes.

I recommend coming to Wild Rice for Dineout Vancouver.  Enjoy!

Taste of the NFL

Are you an NFL football fan and a foodie? Well you can have the best of both worlds if you go to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Here is a press release about a local Seattle restauranteur bringing Pacific Northwest cuisine to the NFL.

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Proprietor and author Chef John Howie, is off to Super Bowl XLVI (46) in Indianapolis in 10 days.  Although Howie is as renowned for his love of sports as he is as a restaurateur (Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar in Bellevue & Seattle, John Howie Steak – Bellevue and SPORT Restaurant – Seattle), he will not be down on the playing field or sitting in the stands watching the Patriots and Giants face off.  Rather, in a combo of his passions, he will be representing the Northwest and the Seattle Seahawks on the eve of the big game at the “Taste of the NFL”, a strolling food and wine event.  More than 35 food stations, each from an NFL city, will provide food and wine samples for guests to savor.  Each chef is paired with an NFL player at their station, either past or current, and Howie will again be joined by Seahawks defensive lineman Craig Terrill.  The evening includes a silent auction with hundreds of one-of-a-kind sports and entertainment items as well as incredible getaways.  This year it will conclude with a live concert performance by multi-platinum and award-winning country singer and songwriter Sara Evans.  Titled the Party with a Purpose, the proceeds from the event will benefit food banks in each of the NFL cities (in Seattle Food Lifeline), with an emphasis on the Super Bowl host city’s food bank.

Howie has appeared at the “Taste of the NFL” every year since 2004.  This year he will be preparing Ancho Chili Applewood Scented King Salmon on Southwestern Roasted Corn Mashed Potatoes with Sweet Chili Hollandaise and Lime Cream from his new cookbook Passion & Palate: Recipes for a Generous Table.  Since 1992, Taste has distributed more than $11 million to hunger relief organizations nationwide.

Ticket prices are $600 and the event is attended by approximately 5,000 guests.  To attend, purchase tickets online at www.TasteoftheNFL.com or by phone at 888-695-0888 (extra fees do apply). 

Grilled BC bison striploin

Restaurant #2 on my list for Dine Out Vancouver is Cobre Restaurant in Gastown. It is described as Nuevo Latin Fusion of Mexican, Cuban, Brazilian and Argentinian flavours. With my group of friends, we tried most of the dishes on the Dine Out menu.

My selection was:

• Taqueria – Pulled duck and cracklin’ y charred scallion, roasted garlic
• Char grilled BC bison striploin with wild mushroom y valdeon empanita, mole demi
• Tres Leche Cake Orange and olive oil pound cake, Bourbon vanilla and sweet cream

My wine pairing between myself and friends was Stoneboat Chorus 2009, which is a blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Muller Thurgau, Kerner, Schoenburger.  Tropical fruit, citrus and high acidity.  Not the best pairing with my dishes, but still an overall nice wine.

Pulled duck taqueria

My favourite of my 3 dishes was the pulled duck appetizer.  Served on a small tortilla shell.  Lots of flavour from this dish.  The duck was succulent and garlic added nice flavour to the duck.  Add a bit of Mexican hot sauce to this dish for an added kick.

The main course, the BC bison striploin, was a bit gristly. Hopefully this was just something I came across and it was not something you encounter.  Topped with this was a empanita, which looked like a tiny tortellini. It had blue cheese inside. To me blue cheese and beefy meat goes together well.

Tres leche cake

The tres leche cake was topped with a lemon ice cream.  The cake was very rich and sweet, and there was also a bit of saltiness with the crunchy topping.

I also tried the Taqueria – Battered Baja rockfish, jicama slaw y chipotle aioli appetizer and the Wild Mexican Sea prawns Pipian verde, butter browned corn arepas.  Both were excellent.  The sea prawns are a bit spicy, so avoid dipping them in the Pipian verde sauce.  They are very juicy on their own.

Enjoy!

Angus Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio

It was a very tasty evening at Cru Restaurant on Broadway. I spent this evening chatting with Dianne Chow and her friend S. Sharing food and talking about things big and small. I’ve eaten at Cru during non Dineout Vancouver events, and was treated to wonderful food. This is the first time for me at Dineout Vancouver.

My meal was:

• Angus Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio, with truffle aioli, shaved parmesan and caperberries appetizer
• Natural Pork Tenderloin, with caramelized apples, curry and raisin couscous, grainy dijon jus main course
• Chocolate and Cardamom Pannacotta, with stewed dried fruit, hazelnut sable dessert

To accompany all of our dishes we selected a bottle of Blasted Church Merlot.  I thought a juicy, soft merlot would go well with my carpaccio, pork tenderloin, as well as the duck breast for Dianne.  It was as expected.  Very juicy ripe fruit, soft tannins, and went well with the dishes.

Natural Pork Tenderloin

I think my favourite dish was the Angus Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio.  Such thin slices of beef, very tender topped with tiny crystals of salt, some garlickiness, and sharpness from the Parmesan cheese.

The main course, the pork tenderloin was cooked with a slight pinkness left.  Went nicely with the caramelized apples.

The panacotta was decandent without being heavy.  I had a cup of Americano with it.  The hazelnut sable dessert (think a shortbread type cookie) went nicely with the coffee.

Chocolate and Cardamom Pannacotta

I also had a chance to try some of Dianne’s duck breast main course (it doesn’t show up in the Dineout Vancouver menu online, but is there at the restaurant).  It was very full flavoured, the fat under the skin giving added richness and complemented the juicy Blasted Church Merlot.

Enjoy Dineout Vancouver!

Theme Country – Chile

Two years ago I travelled down to Chile and visited wineries from the Aconcagua, Maipo, Casablanca, and Colchagua Valleys.  Some of the wineries were Casa Lapostolle, Montgras, Montes, Errazuriz, and Casas del Bosque.   I was impressed with how much the wineries cared for their vineyards and the production of their wines.  One of the nice thing with Chile, is that it is dry due to it’s location on the west coast of South America, and the Andes Mountains on it’s eastern border.  The dry climate, plus topography, and soil factors have made the area a great place to grow grapes.  There is very little, or no, phylloxera louse to attack the grape vines, plus the dryness keeps fungus and mold at bay.  So less pesticides and/or herbicides are needed here.  Many of the wineries in Chile indicate that they are organic or follow organic principles.

Chile’s Natural Advantage

Chile is a wine maker’s paradise.  They get 3 weeks more ripening time than in Bordeaux and 300 + days of sunshine each year.   The cool air from the Andes cools the grapes in the evening so that the grapes mature slowly so that they reach full phenolic ripeness; lots of ripe fruit and a good backbone of acidity. The adjacency to the coast, and the cool Humbolt Current helps produce coastal fog which cools the grapes near the coast, such as from the Casablanca Valley and San Antonio Valley.

Chilean Grapes

Wide range of Chilean red wines

Cabernet is King is Chile.  With the 300+ days of sunshine, the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes produce very full-bodied, ripe, supple wines.  Concha y Toro’s Don Melchor is one of the top quality wines for this grape.  Merlot and Carmenere come in, in 2nd and 3rd place.  Yet they were thought of both being Merlot for many years.  The grapes were planted together in the same vineyard and the grapes and leaves of both vines look very similar.  It was only fairly recently that the Carmenere grape was identified (it’s a Bordeaux grape btw), and has become a signature grape for Chile. A second signature red grape is coming through the ranks, and that is the Syrah grape.  I think people started to recognize Syrah’s potential in Chile, with Aurelio Montes‘ plantings in the Apalta Region of the Colchagua Valley.  There he produces an ultra premium Montes Folly wine from Syrah.

Most people probably think of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay when they think of white wines from Chile.  Probably also the Casablanca Valley, where a lot of very good Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are produced. An upcoming region for Sauvignon Blanc is slightly south of the Casablanca Valley and much closer to the coast is the Leyda Valley.  While the Sauvignon Blanc wine from the Casablanca Valley can be more tropical fruit, from the Leyda Valley, expect more citrus and herbal aromas and flavours.  Have you ever heard of Moscatel of Alexandria?  You might not have, but you probably have tried some Chilean Pisco.  Pisco is produced from the Moscatel grape.  Riesling and Viognier and two grapes with great potential.  I don’t think a particular region is well-known enough for these grapes, but I would hazard to guess that the Riesling grape would be very good in the Casablanca and San Antonio Valleys while Viognier would shine in the more inland, warmer regions, like Aconcagua, Maipo and Colchagua Valleys.

Theme Grape – Cabernet

Montes Apalta vineyard

Cabernet is more than just one grape.  Most people know of Cabernet Sauvignon, the highly revered grape from Bordeaux, but there is also another Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, which can also be found in Bordeaux, but is better known in the Loire Valley in France. Cabernet Sauvignon can be found around the world.  California’s Napa Valley produces some famous Cabernet Sauvignon, such as Stag’s Leap, and don’t forget Chile!  Cabernet Sauvignon tends to have quite high tannins giving it great longevity potential in the bottle. The flavour profile is Cabernet Sauvignon according to Wikipedia, “When Cabernet Sauvignon is young, the wines typically exhibit strong fruit flavors of black cherries and plum. The aroma of black currants is one of the most distinctive and characteristic element of Cabernet Sauvignon that is present in virtually every style of the wine across the globe. Styles from various regions and producers may also have aromas of eucalyptus, mint and tobacco. As the wines age they can sometimes develop aromas associated with cedar, cigar boxes and pencil shavings. In general New World examples have more pronounced fruity notes while Old World wines can be more austere with heightened earthy notes“.

Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux is used as a blending grape, offering cedar, tobacco, raspberry, cassis and violets aromas and flavours. It is lower in tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon, and also can have a green pepper or leafy character. You can also find Cabernet Franc grown around the world.  Here in BC we have single varietal bottles of Cabernet Franc, such as from Tinhorn Creek.

As an aside, in my Wikipedia check, I see that there are 3 other Cabernets, formed through a hybrid of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape with another grape variety.  They are:

• Cabernet Dorsa, a 1971 hybrid of Cabernet Sauvignon and Dornfelder, created in Germany
• Cabernet Gernischt, a Chinese variety similar or perhaps identical to Cabernet Savignon
• Cabernet Mitos, a 1970 hybrid of Cabernet Sauvignon and Blaufränkisch, created in Germany

I have not had time to check on these other Cabs but will do some further research in the future.

My Recommended Events

• New World Expressions. This is all about New World Cabernets.  Try Penfolds Bin 707 and other Bins against sought after New World regions of Sonoma and Napa Valley.
• Celebrate Casa Real. Casa Real is one of Chilean winery, Casa Santa Rita‘s ulta-premium Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaker Andres Ilabaca will guide you through a vertical of 8 vintages of this wine.  It is always very interesting to try successive vintages of a wine and see how it is aging over time.
• Kings of Cabernet Sauvignon. Join Barbara Philip Master of Wine and a panel of leading experts for a comparative tasting of top notch
  Cabernets from around the world.  One of the best ways to tell what style of wine you prefer for a particular grape.
• Don Melchor: Behind the Blend.  If you know anything about Chilean wine, you would know about Concha y Toro‘s premium Don Melchor. Don Melchor has been regarded as Chile’s first growth of Cabernet Sauvignon and is accredited with bringing the premium wines of Chile to the attention of the world.
• Any of the 8 sit down or grazing lunches on the weekend of March 3 and 4. I’d personally select the Chilean, New Zealand, or Spanish events.
• Flavours of the Festival.  If you have the money but not the time to try many of the wines from around the world during the Festival. This sit down brunch at the The Fairmont Waterfront ballroom showcases foods from top BC restaurants paired with Festival wines from around the world.
• Catena High Altitude at Hy’s. This is a Argentinean delight.  Wonderful wines from premium producer Bodega Catena Zapata from Mendoza, with expertly cooked steak from Hy’s.  Malbec and more!
• A Star Rises in South Africa! Lammershoek is one of the rising stars of the dynamic South African wine scene. I’ve tried their wines for the first time last year and they are excellent.  Try their Pinotage, the signature red grape from South Africa.
• West Coast Montes.  Enjoy a dinner with Chilean wine pioneer Aurelio Montes.  I’ve had dinner with him in the past.  He is very interesting and will tell you many stories about his wines.
• Discover Piedmont at CRU.  CRU is one of my favourite restaurants in Vancouver.  The food creations will be expertly matched with the wines of one of the most dynamic Barolo producers in Piedmont Italy, Damilano.
• Classe Italiana. Another choice if you like Italian wine. Wines from Antinori, one of Italy’s most historic and prestigious Tuscan wineries, will be paired with Vancouver’s highly acclaimed and awarded Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill.
• Excellence of Nature. CinCin Restaurant and Emiliana winery from Chile will showcase a pairing of organic and biodynamic
  wines with local producers of biodynamic products. This five-course meal integrates the best fresh, sustainable ingredients with the magic
  of Alvaro Espinoza’s wines in a harmonious and innovative union.
• Sandhill Small Lots Dinner. Come celebrate a BC winery.  You will get to try the very limited wines from Sandhill’s Small Lots program. Indulge in the partnership of BC’s iconic winemaker Howard Soon and Gotham Steakhouse Executive Chef Jean-Claude Douguet

All events are available through the Playhouse Box Office
By phone: 604.873.3311
Toll free 1.877.321.3121
Monday to Friday 9:30 am-8:00 pm
Saturday 12:00-4:00 pm

In person at:
Vancouver Playhouse Box Office
601 Hamilton Street (at Dunsmuir)
Vancouver, BC
Monday to Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm

Online at PlayhouseWinefest.com (excluding brunches, ticket packages and group rates)
Public Events:  Tickets to all public events go on sale Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 9:30 am.

"Wine is bottled poetry", by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Wine has sometimes been called “liquid poetry“. And I agree, sometimes it has so many words to speak. There has been many poets and writers who have tried to give the personal experience of wine to paper. I thought with my first article of 2012 I’d share a few poems about wine. I hope you enjoy them. Please add your favourite wine poems as well.

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Oh, Wine, I do not drink you,
You Drink Me!
You Sing with a foreign voice in my throat,
You lift me up with false wings,
You make me a prisoner of the glass.

Ricardo Tudela

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W.B. Yeats
A DRINKING SONG

Wine comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That’s all we shall know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at you, and I sigh.