Hapa Izakaya Opens In Yaletown

Today, Lea and Justin Ault of Vancouver’s hip Hapa Izakaya restaurant group, reveal Yaletown’s newest restaurant. Hapa Izakaya is now open in Yaletown at 1193 Hamilton Street. Hapa Yaletown is open for dinner nightly from 5:30pm. For reservations phone 604-681-4272. For more information visit hapaizakaya.com. Hapa’s third restaurant launches hot on the heels of the expansion of its original Robson Street location.

Chef Hokuto Yamanaka made the move from Robson Street to open the new restaurant. Chef Yamanaka’s menu includes Hapa favorites: original Ebi Mayo (tempura prawns, tossed in a spicy mayonnaise sauce), Gindara Saikyo Yaki (sablefish, marinated in sake and miso and baked), Saba (marinated mackerel sashimi, seared table-side). Fresh sheet features making their debut in Yaletown include Tai Herb Salad (cured Japanese snapper on a mikuni salad with a citrus dressing), Chan Chan Yaki (local spring salmon, miso mushroom sauce and rice cooked in a Korean-style hot stone bowl), Beef Kasuzuke (sake-marinated and roasted AAA beef), Yaki Kamo (roasted duck breast with grainy mustard miso, pickled beets and cauliflower), Burikuwayaki (Teriyaki-glazed yellowtail) and for dessert Sake-poached pear with matcha ice cream.

With the install of a Le Verre de Vin wine preservation system, expected in February at all three locations, Hapa will have a comprehensive sake list with over 20 premium sakes available by the glass. A first for Vancouver.

The Aults worked once again with M Studio to create a more urban spin on the successful Hapa interior design scheme. The intimate 65 seat space, complete with Hapa’s signature open kitchen, features Tom Dixon Beat Lights over the bar as a modern, Asian inspired feature. The overall palette is quiet but impactful – gold and dark brown, reflective materials, rough hewn wood. Hockey fans especially will appreciate two large flat screens over the bar.

Back at 1479 Robson Street, and as of October 15, 2009, the space is 30 percent larger with an expanded lounge and increased ability to welcome larger parties. A more feminine spin on the original design was taken in the new lounge with ornate Japanese themed wall covering, iridescent tile on the walls and bar, chopstick feature ceiling and a dramatic red floor. It’s offset by three flat screen TV’s in the new lounge so no guest has to miss out on Canuck and Olympic action.

About Hapa Izakaya

When Lea and Justin Ault introduced Hapa in 2003 they exploded the izakaya concept in Vancouver. Hapa Izakaya’s combination of a sexy room, well-priced portions of Japanese tapas, cocktails and premium sake took the city by storm; Hapa set the bar high for the host of contenders that followed. Today, Hapa continues to be a standout for its singular presentation of Japanese food in a city where Asian dining endures stiff competition. It remains the place to go when you’re in the mood for a unique blend of food, fun and culture. All three locations — Robson, Kitsilano and now Yaletown — are open from 5:30 p.m. to midnight, Sunday through Thursday, and until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Reservations by phone are recommended. Visit www.hapaizakaya.com for information.

Los Muertos at Zocalo

One of the most joyful and popular holidays in Mexico is ‘Dia de Muertos’ (Day of the Dead). The fiesta, which traces its roots back to the indigenous Aztec and Maya cultures, was originally celebrated in August. After the Spanish conquest, the Catholic Church moved it to the present date of November 2^nd in an attempt to assimilate the ‘pagan’ celebration into the Christian holy days of All Hallows Eve and All Saints Day (Oct.31 and Nov.1). However, Los Muertos caught on with all strata of Mexican society and it grew into the wildly popular holiday it is today where friends and family gather to honour the dead with special meals and family shrines.

Enter Zocalo, a little restaurant tucked into Main Street near Broadway. ‘Zocalo’ is the Mexican word for the square or plaza found in every Mexican village, town and city. It’s a meeting place where friends and family gather to share a meal, indulge in gossip, check out everyone else and be entertained. In other words, it is the heart of every Mexican community. In celebration of Los Muertos, Vancouver’s Zocalo will be offering a very special three-course menu for the value price of $25 per person. It has been created in commemoration of ‘El Santo,’ Rodolfo guzman Huerta, Mexico’s most famous ‘luchador’ (masked wrestler – think Jack Black in Lucha Libre). El Santo came from the state of Hidalgo and Zocalo’s Los Muertos menu reflects dishes that he is known to have loved.

Chef Tanya Shklanka and her talented brigade of Mexican cooks have produced a menu guaranteed to put you in a festive mood and enliven your palate. For starters diners have a choice of Pozole Verde, a traditional soup served at weddings, family gatherings and fiestas, or Chile Relleno de Hongos which is a roasted poblano chile filled with portobello mushroom, onion and tequila ragout dressed with a pasilla chile sauce.

For mains there is a choice between Barbacoa de Borrego or Pollo con Mole Negro. Barbacoa de Borrego is melt-in-your mouth slow-cooked lamb accompanied by salsa verde, guacamole and homemade corn tortillas. Pollo con Mole Negro is Mexico’s answer to France’s Coq au Vin. Chicken stewed in a traditional sauce of black chiles, nuts, spices and tomatoes resulting in a flavourful dish served with rice and the ubiquitous warm corn tortillas.

Life is sweet and so is the end of this meal. The Mexicans invented chocolate and named it ‘food of the gods.’ What could be more heavenly than Hot Coochie y Pan de Muertos? Homemade Mexican hot chocolate with a bit of kick and accompanied by traditional Pan Muertos, a traditional sweet bread flavoured with orange and anise. The other choice is Capirotada – a Mexican style bread pudding chock-a-block full of goodies such as dried cranberries, blueberries roasted hazelnuts and panela cheese suffused with spiced piloncillo (raw brown sugar) syrup. Yum.

El Santo’s favourite libation was a cold Negra Modelo and that is the recommended pairing with the Los Muertos menu. If cerveza is not your drink of choice, Zocalo Los Muertos Menu also offers a special tequila pairing to accompany each course for an additional $20. The restaurant stocks Vancouver’s largest selection of tequilas; or you may prefer sangria, a Latino-inspired cocktail or a selection from their Carta de Vinos available by the glass, half litre and bottle.

When you have a holiday as fun and flavourful as Los Muertos, it’s a pity it lasts a day or two. The good news is that at Zocalo Restaurant, the Los Muertos menu will be available for 15 days starting November 1^st straight through to November 15^th. In addition to the special menu, Zocalo Restaurant will feature a traditional Shrine and to get things off to a festive start on November 1^st, there will be a Mariachi band to entertain. Bring a little Mexican warmth to dreary November and live it up at Zocalo Restaurant with Los Muertos, November 1^st through 15^th. Reservations recommended 604-677-3521.

2515 Main Street, Vancouver

604-677-3521 www.zocalorestaurant.ca

Pastis Menu October 15-31

Vancouver’s own corner of France, Bistro Pastis Propietor John Blakeley knows a thing or two about classic French comfort food – he grew up with these dishes. For the month of October, Bistro Pastis is offering a very soothing La Cuisine de Chez Nous menu for only $37.50 for three-courses. Perfect for a crisp autumn evening by Bistro Pastis’ fireplace, this three-course menu is a demonstration of “The Art of French Cooking – Mastered.”

La Cuisine de Chez Nous

Lentils Soup, Bacon Froth
Viognier Paul Mas or

Chicken Liver Salad, Red Wine Vinaigrette
Rosé de Provence, Côtes du Luberon, 8.50 or

Rillette de Canard and Cornichons
Beaujolais Villages, George Duboeuf, 9.00

Truite Bourguignonne
Trout in Red Wine, Sauteed Mushrooms and Pomme Vapeurs
Pinot Noir Latour, Burgundy, 12.00 or

Choucroute Garnie a l Alsacienne
Riesling Pfaffenheim Alsace, 10.50 or

Navarin d Agneau Printanière
Côtes du Rhone Perrin, Rhone Valley, 9.50

Pear Clafoutis, Sauce Anglaise
Muscat Beaumes de Venise, 11.50 or

Œuf à la Neige, Floating Island
Pineau des Charentes

$37.50

Bistro Pastis
2153 W 4^th Ave. Vancouver, BC V6K 1N7 | Tel: (604) 731.5020 | Fax: (604) 731.5039
www.bistropastis.com

Live it up with Los Muertos – at Zocalo

One of the most joyful and popular holidays in Mexico is ‘Dia de Muertos’ (Day of the Dead). The fiesta, which traces its roots back to the indigenous Aztec and Maya cultures, was originally celebrated in August. After the Spanish conquest, the Catholic Church moved it to the present date of November 2^nd in an attempt to assimilate the ‘pagan’ celebration into the Christian holy days of All Hallows Eve and All Saints Day (Oct.31 and Nov.1). However, Los Muertos caught on with all strata of Mexican society and it grew into the wildly popular holiday it is today where friends and family gather to honour the dead with special meals and family shrines.

Enter Zocalo, a little restaurant tucked into Main Street near Broadway. ‘Zocalo’ is the Mexican word for the square or plaza found in every Mexican village, town and city. It’s a meeting place where friends and family gather to share a meal, indulge in gossip, check out everyone else and be entertained. In other words, it is the heart of every Mexican community. In celebration of Los Muertos, Vancouver’s Zocalo will be offering a very special three-course menu for the value price of $25 per person. It has been created in commemoration of ‘El Santo,’ Rodolfo guzman Huerta, Mexico’s most famous ‘luchador’ (masked wrestler – think Jack Black in Lucha Libre). El Santo came from the state of Hidalgo and Zocalo’s Los Muertos menu reflects dishes that he is known to have loved.

Chef Tanya Shklanka and her talented brigade of Mexican cooks have produced a menu guaranteed to put you in a festive mood and enliven your palate. For starters diners have a choice of Pozole Verde, a traditional soup served at weddings, family gatherings and fiestas, or Chile Relleno de Hongos which is a roasted poblano chile filled with portobello mushroom, onion and tequila ragout dressed with a pasilla chile sauce.

For mains there is a choice between Barbacoa de Borrego or Pollo con Mole Negro. Barbacoa de Borrego is melt-in-your mouth slow-cooked lamb accompanied by salsa verde, guacamole and homemade corn tortillas. Pollo con Mole Negro is Mexico’s answer to France’s Coq au Vin. Chicken stewed in a traditional sauce of black chiles, nuts, spices and tomatoes resulting in a flavourful dish served with rice and the ubiquitous warm corn tortillas.

Life is sweet and so is the end of this meal. The Mexicans invented chocolate and named it ‘food of the gods.’ What could be more heavenly than Hot Coochie y Pan de Muertos? Homemade Mexican hot chocolate with a bit of kick and accompanied by traditional Pan Muertos, a traditional sweet bread flavoured with orange and anise. The other choice is Capirotada – a Mexican style bread pudding chock-a-block full of goodies such as dried cranberries, blueberries roasted hazelnuts and panela cheese suffused with spiced piloncillo (raw brown sugar) syrup. Yum.

El Santo’s favourite libation was a cold Negra Modelo and that is the recommended pairing with the Los Muertos menu. If cerveza is not your drink of choice, Zocalo Los Muertos Menu also offers a special tequila pairing to accompany each course for an additional $20. The restaurant stocks Vancouver’s largest selection of tequilas; or you may prefer sangria, a Latino-inspired cocktail or a selection from their Carta de Vinos available by the glass, half litre and bottle.

When you have a holiday as fun and flavourful as Los Muertos, it’s a pity it lasts a day or two. The good news is that at Zocalo Restaurant, the Los Muertos menu will be available for 15 days starting November 1^st straight through to November 15^th. In addition to the special menu, Zocalo Restaurant will feature a traditional Shrine and to get things off to a festive start on November 1^st, there will be a Mariachi band to entertain. Bring a little Mexican warmth to dreary November and live it up at Zocalo Restaurant with Los Muertos, November 1^st through 15^th. Reservations recommended 604-677-3521.

2515 Main Street, Vancouver

604-677-3521 www.zocalorestaurant.ca

Retro Pricing on Pasta at Q4 (Quattro on Fourth)

Patrick Corsi, part of the father and son partnership behind Quattro Restaurants for 15 years, and proprietor of the newly named Q4 restaurant, located at 2611 West 4^th Avenue, is pleased to announce some good old fashioned pricing on the restaurant’s best known dish: pasta!

Visit the restaurant on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights and enjoy a favourite plate of pasta for only $10. Even Spaghetti Quattro and Fettuccine Tartufate are on this specially priced menu listing ten pastas for $10.

Plus Sunday is family night at Q4, with a different value-priced pasta recipe being released from the Corsi family vault every Sunday night. It all starts on Sunday, September 6 with the Corsi’s ten-layer lasagna for $15. Come in and sit at the bar or reserve a large table for your extended brood, either way it’s a good night to be part of la famiglia.

“Great food, a sense of abundance, or abbondanza, and good value is what we’ve always been about,” says owner Patrick Corsi. “But I thought it was time for a refresher. Speaking of refreshers, our new patio has been completely renovated and it looking better than ever. It’s going to be especially lovely on warm Indian summer nights in September.”

About Q4

Q4, the restaurant formerly known as Quattro on Fourth, opened at the corner of Fourth and Trafalgar in Kitsilano in 1994. Vancouver’s original new Italian restaurant, Q4 has established itself over a decade and a half as one of the city’s favourite neighbourhood restaurants. Look for Mangia with Quattro: Family-Style Italian from the Heart, published by Whitecap Books, due in bookstores in time for Christmas 2009. For more information please visit www.q4restaurant.com.

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