News from Top Table Group – Earth Hour – Cookbook

Like yours, our Olympic memories are rife with wonderful individual moments and the spirit that celebrated excellence at every turn. We enjoyed a great mix of our regulars and locals at each of our restaurants – Araxi in Whistler, and Blue Water Cafe, CinCin, and West in Vancouver – along with many visitors, royals and celebrities of an extraordinary diversity.

But in our eyes, the true stars of the Olympics were the athletes.

In concert with Champagne Nicholas Feuillatte, we offered complimentary bottles to every Olympic medalist to accompany the sparkling toasts of thanks they made to friends and family. It made for many intimate moments and we were delighted to share in so many of them in Whistler and Vancouver, including Canadian Gold Medalists Ashleigh McIvor, Maëlle Ricker, and Jon Montgomery, and Canadian Silver Medalists Mike Robertson, Jennifer Heil, Shelley-Ann Brown and Helen Upperton, to name a few.

Araxi and Blue Water Cafe win Cordon d’ Or Cookbook Awards

On the heels of our recent cookbook awards in the Gourmand ‘Best in the World’ competition, Araxi: Seasonal Recipes from the Celebrated Whistler Restaurant and Blue Water Cafe: Seafood have been awarded Cordon d’ Or – Gold Ribbon International Culinary Academy Awards. Two of four awarded in Canada and out of only 16 worldwide, Araxi won ‘Best Illustrated Cookbook’, while Blue Water Cafe took the ‘Best Fish and Seafood Cuisine Cookbook’ category. Congratulations to chefs James Walt and Frank Pabst, and the teams at Araxi and Blue Water Cafe, for these accomplishments.

Earth Hour

Why is Saturday, March 27th more romantic than Valentine’s Day? Because on that night, the world turns off the electricity in honour of Earth Hour. For the third consecutive year, our four restaurants will join hundreds of millions of people around the world and will go candlelight for one hour starting at 8:30 pm, in an effort to show it’s possible to take positive action on climate change. To reserve your table, visit: Araxi, Blue Water Cafe, CinCin and West.

Top Table Bars Fête Olympic Victors with Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte

Podium Athletes Invited to Celebrate at Araxi, Blue Water Cafe, CinCin + West

Winning an Olympic medal is no easy feat. The road is long, the sacrifices many, and the support structures that enable athletes to reach the podium are elaborate. But ask an Olympic athlete the key to their success, and the reply is almost always, “My family and friends.”

Araxi in Whistler, and Blue Water Cafe, CinCin, and West in Vancouver, will salute winning athletes during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics by helping them toast family and friends at the restaurants’ bars with a complimentary bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte champagne.

“We want to congratulate the bronze, silver and gold medalists from all countries, and give them the opportunity to toast those closest to them, that took them to the pinnacle of their sport,” said Jack Evrensel, proprietor of Top Table. “Top Table is all about teamwork, and so are the endeavours of Olympic athletes – this is a simple way to show our appreciation.”

Medalists: Reserve in advance through Top Table’s restaurant directors, bring your medal, and the bubbles will begin to flow.

	RESTAURANT		LOCATION		CONTACT
	Araxi Blue Water Cafe CinCin West		4222 Whistler Village Square 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown 1154 Robson Street 2881 Granville Street @ 13th		Steve Edwards, 604 932 4540 Stephan Cachard, 604 688 8078 Ricardo Ferreira, 604 688 7338 Brian Hopkins, 604 738 8938

 

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About Top Table  One of the most highly respected restaurant groups in Canada, Top Table encompasses four of the leading restaurants in Vancouver and Whistler: Araxi, CinCin, Blue Water Cafe and West. Continuing to evolve in the pursuit of excellence, each venue has received significant critical acclaim, both locally and internationally.

Due to demand, all Top Table restaurants will be open for lunch during the Olympics.

About Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte  Nicolas Feuillatte is the best-selling Champagne brand in France, among the “top 5″ internationally and a fixture in the world’s great restaurants. Founded in 1976, this dynamic young house celebrates its unique identity by collaborating with outstanding creative professionals across many disciplines including chefs, designers and artists.

6th Annual Unsung Heroes Festival at Blue Water Cafe

PR NEWS

Executive chef Frank Pabst’s Unsung Heroes take center stage at Blue Water Cafe throughout the month of January. A champion of our coastal fisheries, and protective of commercially endangered species, chef Pabst created the Unsung Heroes six years ago. His concept is simple: avoid species that are over-fished, or fished in ways that damage ocean beds or cause unnecessary by-catch, by introducing diners to new experiences and flavours using species found in abundance.

Tasting Plates

Red Sea Urchin 16.50
taglierini with red sea urchin sauce and broccoli flowers

Herring Roe 12.50
kombu seaweed, bonito flakes, dashi, soy

Mackerel 10.50
beetroot, walnuts and golden raisins, aged balsamic vinegar

Octopus 13.50
ceviche with avocado, cilantro, lime and jalapeno, bell pepper salad

Humboldt Squid 10.50
braised in tomato red wine sauce with potatoes, black olives and parsley

Sardine 10.50
stuffed with green chard, artichokes and pine nuts, garlic citrus caramel

Mirugai Ubuki 16.50
geoduck sashimi with tama miso sauce

Herring 10.50
smoked with pickled honeycrisp apples, coleslaw, cucumber aquavit sauce

Sea Cucumber 12.50
stir-fry with fresh vegetables, shiitake mushrooms and hoisin sauce

Jellyfish 10.50
marinated with sesame oil and togarashi, cucumber daikon salad

Periwinkles 9.50
cooked in a court bouillon, served with aioli

Wakame 7.50
seaweed salad with leeks and radishes, soy, dijon and olive oil dressing
Ten percent of the Unsung Heroes menu proceeds will be donated to the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise sustainable seafood program of which Blue Water Cafe is a founding member.

To make a reservation call 604 688 8078 or visit www.bluewatercafe.net.

Blue Water Cafe’s Unsung Heroes Menu Sings of the Sea

Tuesday, January 5th marks the launch of executive chef Frank Pabst’s annual Unsung Heroes festival at Blue Water Cafe, a month earlier this year to precede the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Long a champion of sustainably-resourced seafood, chef Pabst’s month-long initiative spotlights lesser-known, yet delicious coastal species from responsibly managed fisheries.

But this year, the festival’s 6th, sees some innovative twists.

“Chef Pabst laid down a challenge,” said wine director Andrea Vescovi, “to pair our merroir with our terroir. So we’ve matched the Unsung Heroes with a selection of exciting wines that highlight lesser-known varietals and wineries, and some labels just harder-to-find.”

Alongside Blue Water Cafe’s regular raw bar and à la carte selections, chef Pabst will offer a selection of small plates featuring Unsung favourites – Humboldt Squid, Octopus, Periwinkles, and Jellyfish, to name a few – many of which found within the pages of his new cookbook, just named “Best Seafood and Fish Book in Canada” by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

Sushi master Yoshi Tabo has also reached into his repertoire, featuring some of his own Unsung Heroes, including Geoduck, Herring, and Uni.

Ten percent of the Unsung Heroes menu proceeds will be donated to the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise sustainable seafood program of which Blue Water Cafe is a founding member.

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Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar is Vancouver’s definitive seafood restaurant located in the heart of Yaletown at 1095 Hamilton Street. Dinner is served nightly from 5:00pm – 11:00pm with late menu until midnight. Open for lunch Monday – Friday during the holiday season until December 23rd. Valet nightly. For reservations call 604 688 8078 or visit www.bluewatercafe.net.

Top Toques – The Ultimate Culinary Set

An inscribed collection of the year’s top cookbooks is now available for $125.00

West: The Cookbook
by Warren Geraghty $50.00

Playing significant roles in Michelin-starred restaurants in London and Cannes, and a protégé of exacting celebrity chef Richard Neat, chef Warren Geraghty has taken West to new culinary heights since taking the helm in late 2007. His award-winning West: The Cookbook – beautifully photographed and with graceful companion text by Jim Tobler – stays true to the ideals of West’s mantra of seasonal excellence. Also featuring approachable recipes from award-winning pastry chef Rhonda Viani, cocktails from David Wolowidnyk, one of Canada’s most accomplished bartenders, and wine pairings from Owen Knowlton.

2008 Winner, Most Innovative Cookbook in Canada, World Gourmand Cookbook Awards

Blue Water Cafe Seafood Cookbook
by Frank Pabst $45.00

One of Canada’s leading culinary talents, chef Frank Pabst has made enormous contributions to Vancouver’s culinary landscape. Tenures in Michelin-starred restaurants in Germany and the south of France led Pabst to Blue Water Cafe, Canada’s quintessential seafood restaurant. In Blue Water Cafe Seafood Cookbook, Frank’s signature brand of ‘Unsung Heroes’ sings of the sea, and formerly under-recognized coastal species. Recipes from sushi master Yoshi Tabo, as well as wine pairings from Andrea Vescovi and Chris van Nus, both Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival Sommeliers of the Year.

2009 Canadian Nominee, World Gourmand Cookbook Awards (TBA Dec 2009)

Araxi, Seasonal Recipes from the Celebrated Whistler Restaurant
by James Walt $45.00

Gorgeous photography and accessible recipes frame the seasons and chef James Walt’s celebration of our region’s bounty in Araxi: Seasonal Recipes from the Celebrated Whistler Restaurant. A graduate of Stratford, Walt’s sterling career includes the executive chef position at the Canadian Embassy in Rome. The highly anticipated cookbook was just released to high praise by both patrons and Walt’s peers, including chefs Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal. Walt’s distinct Canadian style – that celebrates both local farms and coastal fisheries – has won praise and ovations at New York City’s James Beard House where he has showcased his talents three times. Now long established as Whistler’s finest dining experience, Araxi also features exceptional dessert recipes from pastry chef Aaron Heath and wine pairings from Samantha Rahn.

How to Order

Just in time for the holidays, inscribed sets of all three cookbooks are now available online for $125.00, with complimentary shipping within Canada, or at any Top Table restaurant: Araxi, Blue Water Cafe, CinCin or West.

All three cookbooks published by Douglas & McIntyre. Photography by John James Sherlock.

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