What to do in and around Vancouver this week? It’s been a busy couple weeks. We just got through another year of Vancouver International Wine Festival and were thoroughly impressed with the wines and the people we met behind them! Now we are onto the last week in February and I seriously can’t believe how fast the year is going. Best of the City – February 24 7-9 pm I’ll be here with Les Dames d’Escoffier as we are raffling off a wall of wine! Please buy a ticket or five to support our initiatives if you are there! Vancouver magazine’s…
Author: Cassandra Anderton
Last Minute Valentine’s Day Suggestion Rocky Mountain Flatbread and Koko Monk Chocolates are delighted to present our second annual Valentine’s Day Menu for the Chocoholic featuring raw chocolate and Rocky Mountain Flatbread favourites. Rocky Mountain Flatbread’s Chef Oliver Zulauf has created a delicious three-course menu for Valentine’s Day that offers over 75 pizza and pasta combinations to choose from. Each course is paired with a handmade raw chocolate from Koko Monk Chocolates. Wake up your palate with La Petite Amour – a lemongrass, lime and sunny mango raw chocolate – paired with your choice of crisp fresh salad (fig & goat cheese, basil…
Valentine’s Day Treats Around Vancouver There’s a few sweets about town that I can’t help but wish I could indulge in, but I’m going to save my calories for dinner, as we’ve got a chef coming in to cook for us and the men looks superb! These items are definitely calling me though. Grounds For Coffee – Heart Shaped Cinnamon Buns Beta 5 Chocolate – Cream Puffs Temper Chocolate – Chocolate Hearts Thomas Haas – Cookie and Chocolate Box Ganache Patisserie – Cakes TWG Tea – Mon Amore Tea and Macarons Notte’s Bon Ton Bakery – Chocolate Hearts AND here’s a healthy…
TWG Valentine’s Day – Take Time For Tea Got plans for Valentine’s Day yet? On Friday we checked out Chef Cliff Hohl’s latest menu at TWG Tea and left very impressed with just how gorgeous and delicious the TWG Valentine’s Day menu was. I love doing afternoon tea here (TWG was previously the Urban Tea Merchant) as it gives me the chance to chat with a friend over a selection of fine tea, and what is always delightful treats; this meal was the perfect excuse to cozy up and catch up on a rainy afternoon. The menu begins with a Bain de Roses…
Temper Chocolate Hearts For Your Sweatheart We’ve suggested a few gifts that weren’t edible in our last post, but know you’d really never think of celebrating Valentine’s Day without chocolate. We headed to West Vancouver for dine out last month and had an excellent meal at Feast. As we wandered up the street we peered into Temper Chocolate and although it was closed, spotted some divine chocolates and were reminded of what a great little lunch and sweets spot Temper is. Be sure not to miss the cookies and chocolate milk! Temper’s owner, Chef Hodge, hails from West Vancouver and…
Valentine’s Day Treats That Will Last As Long As Your Love While I would never turn down chocolate, or flowers, there’s a couple items that I’d rather have this year. Here’s a few suggestion for those who deserve something special this Valentine’s Day. Moto Z Play Those who’ve seen me out lately may have noticed my newest tech accessory, the Moto Z Play and the Mods that come with it. I am loving this phone/camera/speaker/projector! That’s right you can actually turn your phone into a movie projector, boombox, battery, camera, and more, in a snap. AND the battery lasts for up to 50-hour…
Vancouver Events and Happenings I’ve been up at Kelowna Gold Medal Plates Culinary Championships this past weekend and was so impressed with the chefs and all their hard work, and have to give a big shout out to all the Okanagan college culinary students and recent grads who assisted them. What an hard working group of talented people! Congrats to Jinhe Lee of Foreign Concept in Calgary on the Gold. I’ll have a post up this week on the full competition. While in Kelowna I had some great family and friend visits, got my exercise, but didn’t really get out…
Chef Amanda Ray from O & B Canteen in Toronto The 2017 Canadian Culinary Championships will take place this weekend in Kelowna, BC February 3-4, 2017. The eleven competing chefs will be aiming for gold as they compete in three events over two days testing their skills, creativity and endurance. We caught up with Chef Amanda Ray from O & B Canteen in Toronto. Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. Canteen is a casual restaurant by Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants, located in the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Canteen is all about offering globally inspired dishes using locally sourced ingredients.…
Chef Garrett Thienes of Harvest Eatery and Fresh Market in Regina The 2017 Canadian Culinary Championships will take place this weekend in Kelowna, BC February 3-4, 2017. The eleven competing chefs will be aiming for gold as they compete in three events over two days testing their skills, creativity and endurance. We caught up with Chef Garrett Thienes of Harvest Eatery and Fresh Market in Regina. Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. We decided to open a 45-seat eatery and fresh market in rural Shanavon, SK. (pop. 1,700) and focus on creating dishes that were familiar…
Chef Joe Thottungal Coconut Lagoon Ottawa The 2017 Canadian Culinary Championships will take place this weekend in Kelowna, BC February 3-4, 2017. The eleven competing chefs will be aiming for gold as they compete in three events over two days testing their skills, creativity and endurance. We caught up with Chef Joe Thottungal Coconut Lagoon Ottawa for a few pre-competition questions. Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. Coconut lagoon is an Indian restaurant specialize in Kerala Cuisine opened in 2004. We were the first to bring Kerala Cuisine into the main stream and do authentic…
Chef Jesse Friesen – Pizzeria Gusto The 2017 Canadian Culinary Championships will take place this weekend in Kelowna, BC February 3-4, 2017. The eleven competing chefs will be aiming for gold as they compete in three events over two days testing their skills, creativity and endurance. We caught up with Winnipeg’s Chef Jesse Friesen of Pizzeria Gusto for a few pre-competition questions. Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. Our restaurant, Pizzeria Gusto in Winnipeg is a cozy welcoming Italian restaurant in the heart of river heights. We do authentic Italian with a mixture of traditional…
Chef Scott Torgerson – Executive Chef Radisson Hotel Saskatoon and Aroma Resto Bar The 2017 Canadian Culinary Championships is taking place this weekend in Kelowna, BC February 3-4, 2017. The eleven competing chefs will be aiming for gold as they compete in three events over two days testing their skills, creativity and endurance. We caught up with Chef Scott Torgerson the Executive Chef Radisson Hotel Saskatoon and Aroma Resto Bar. Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. My cooking style is Scandinavian/French with Asian influence. At the hotel we try to highlight prairie ingredients with classic techniques…
Chef Mark Gray – Battery Park Beer Bar & Eatery in Halifax The 2017 Canadian Culinary Championships will take place this weekend in Kelowna, BC February 3-4, 2017. The eleven competing chefs will be aiming for gold as they compete in three events over two days testing their skills, creativity and endurance. We caught up with Halifax’s Chef Mark Gray from Battery Park Beer Bar & Eatery for a few pre-competition questions. Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. Battery Park Beer Bar & Eatery is a casual eatery, with bar style seating and a playful,…
Jinhee Lee – Executive Chef Foreign Concept The 2017 Canadian Culinary Championships is taking place this weekend in Kelowna, BC February 3-4, 2017. The eleven competing chefs will be aiming for gold as they compete in three events over two days testing their skills, creativity and endurance. We caught up with Calgary’s Chef Jinhee Lee and are cheering her and all the chefs on as they battle for gold! TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR RESTAURANT AND/OR STYLE OF COOKING Foreign concept is modern pan Asian restaurant celebrating ingredients and flavours from countries such as Vietnam, Korean,China and Japan. My cooking…
Chef Interview Series – Chef Jesse McCleery This week is the final for the Canadian Culinary Championships and we’re interviewing the chefs prior to their arrival in Kelowna. We caught up with Chef McCleery from Pilgrimme prior to his win in Victoria in November, so re-posting this one with a few pics from the BC Competition. Chef’s dish – SQUASH, ONION, PEAR, BEEF HEART – Growing Chefs Fundraiser 2016 Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. Pilgrimme is a small restaurant on Galiano Island with a focus on vegetables, Canadian grains and what grows wild on…
Gold Medal Plates Canadian Culinary Championships The 2017 Canadian Culinary Championships (CCC) will take place this weekend in Kelowna, BC February 3-4, 2017 and I am heading up there on Thursday to cover the competition once again! Eleven competing chefs will be aiming for gold as they compete in three events over two days testing their skills, creativity and endurance and we’ll have some pre-competition interviews up shortly. Each of the eleven chefs competed in their home city/province at a Gold Medal Plates event in the fall of 2016 and took the top spot in there. On Thursday, chefs will be…
What To Do This Week – Just In Case There’s Room in Your Calendar I can’t believe we’ve gone through a whole month of 2017 already! How’s your year been? I’ve got lots of plans and hopes for the year ahead and I’m finding the biggest issue for me is trying to do too much and then feeling disappointed in myself up for not getting through the 300 things I feel I should do every day. I’m working on some ways to stop this cycle, but the struggle is still VERY REAL! Well then, on that note, we do have some suggestions…
Dine Out Vancouver Offers 3-course Menu Deals Dine Out Vancouver has one week left and while we wish we had more evenings free for dining out, we did get to a few and have a couple photos and recommendations to share. Chicha Chalaco Ceviche- albacore tuna, sockeye salmon, pacific ling cod, scallops, prawns, green tigre de leche marinade, fresh oranges and rocoto chili dusted calamari Yuca Bola- cassava root croquettes filled with asiago cheese, cream cheese, jalapeno, and scallions with huancainiana Lomo Saltado Medium rare flank steak, peppers, tomatoes, onions, kennebec fries, rich veal demi stir fry Costillas de Cerdo…
Good Things to do in Vancouver It’s been a busy couple days for me as I’ve continued the struggle to get organized for the year, and focus on my goals, goals, goals; it’s exhausting! How is everyone else doing on their New Year’s plans? I have to remind myself that not every day will be 100%, but I think I’m moving in the right direction! Hope y’all are too. If you resolved to have more fun this year, fear not, there’s lots to do! This week there’s Robbie Burns Day celebrations, Dine Out Vancouver continues, lots of Arts events and…
Diane’s Lingerie Gift With Purchase – Anita Panty & Sports Bag with Any Anita Sports Bra until January 28, 2017 Diane’s Lingerie has been my go to for bras every since I discovered them a few years ago. The bra fitter is an expert and checks to guarantee you’ve got the right fit. Don’t be shy, the health of your breasts is at stake here, and a good bra can make the difference in looking just okay in an outfit, or looking spectacular. I just bought an excellent supportive day to day lacy bra (Melody by Empreinte) before Christmas and it’s made…
