March through April 2011
BC is not only known for the superb selection of home grown wine, but is blessed with a very impressive array of farm-fresh, often organic BC artisan cheeses that are every bit as expressive of their origin as our wines.
Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar was Vancouver’s original wine bar and 12 years later their commitment to serving one of the city’s best by-the-glass selections, over 60, and some of the city’s best Pacific Northwest cuisine, has not faltered. With a new chef at the helm, former Sous Chef Chris Bisaro, the Brix kitchen is still heavily invested in local, regional ingredients and most importantly, palate pleasing wine and food pairings.
This spring, now and just in time for the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival (March 28-April 3), Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar features local artisan cheeses throughout their menus. Selections include a Pemberton Farms goat cheese crème brule with smoked Wentzel duck carpaccio and mission fig compote or Little Qualicum Cheeseworks ‘Bleu Claire’ and braised pork cheek waldorf salad with pears, grapes, celery, candied walnuts and butter lettuce, both on their small plates menu. Entrée selections include bacon wrapped 7oz tenderloin topped with Poplar Grove ‘Tiger Blue’, grilled asparagus spears, wild mushroom-yukon gold potato hash, ruby port demi glace or Olive oil and savoury herb marinated free range chicken breast topped with Moonstruck ‘Savoury Moon’, salsa verde spaghetinni and oven roasted
roma tomatoes.
For those who like a cheese plate to finish their meal, a lighter bite in the lounge or a late night nibble, Brix is offering a Cheese Plate with grilled toast points & house made crackers ($16). This week’s selection includes your choice of 3 of the following,
Moonstruck Tomme d’or, celery gelee; Moonstruck Ash camembert, roast garlic honey; Hillary’s Red Dawn, lingonberry jam a or Little Qualicum Bleu Claire, onion & apple jam.
That BC wine and cheese is a perfect partnership is great news for both local BC food and wine lovers, as well as visitors who have yet to experience the amazing tastes from our terroir. In BC, wines are made from over sixty grape varieties – red wines, white wines, sparkling wines; bone dry wines and intensely sweet wines and with cheese, there are just as many variables with cheeses classified according to type of milk (goat, cow, sheep), texture, fat content, method of production, or age.
Co-owner and Sommelier David Hannay is pairing both little known and well loved BC wines with the cheese selection with wines such as the 2006 Poplar Grove Cabernet Franc and 2009 Meyer Family Vineyards Pinot Noir.
One of the best late night dining spots in the city, Brix kitchen is open late, 1 am weekdays and 2 am weekends. The table-set courtyard, highly reminiscent of the outdoor breakfast rooms of small French and Italian hotels, is heated and open year round.
Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar
Open Monday – Saturday at 5:00 pm – Late night menu available at 10:00 pm
1138 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2X6
T 604-915-9463
Courtyard Patio 45 seats
Wine Bar 30 seats
Dining room 80 seats
Valet Parking
To create your own wine and cheese pairing at home the BC Wine Institute suggests the following pairings:
LIGHT WHITES:
ehrenfelser, bacchus, siegerrebe, riesling, muscat, chenin blanc, chasselas,
auxerrois, unwooded sauvignon blanc and viognier with fresh cheese, chevre, soft and semi-soft cheeses
MEDIUM WHITES:
pinot blanc, pinot gris, gewürztraminer, semillon and unwooded chardonnay with mild cheddar and mild gouda, brie and camembert styles
RICH WHITES:
oaked sauvignon blanc, meritage blends, oaked chardonnay and reserve (oaked) pinot gris with aged cheddar and aged gouda
ROSÉ with mild chevre or soft sheep’s cheese
LIGHT REDS:
unoaked/lightly oaked gamay, pinot noir, merlot and cabernet franc with
brie/camembert, mild cheddar, mild gouda
RICH REDS:
oaked merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, meritage blends, syrah/shiraz and zinfandel with serious, well-aged gouda and cheddar
DESSERT WINES: late harvest, Icewine and port with rich, blue-veined cheeses
MILD HARD CHEESES: mild cheddar, mild gouda, edam, British styles such as Caerphilly and Wensleydale with gamay, merlot, cabernet franc, zweigelt, pinot gris and unwooded chardonnay
SHARP HARD CHEESES: aged cheddar, aged gouda. Italian styles such as parmesan and asiago with meritage, syrah/shiraz, zinfandel and marechal foch old vines
SOFT, WHITE-RINDED CHEESES: brie and camembert with ehrenfelser, siegerrebe and chasselas
GOAT’S CHEESE: Fresh chevre and feta. With sauvignon blanc and rosé
SHEEP’S CHEESES: with Sparkling wine (soft styles); big reds, such as cabernet sauvignon (aged style)
BLUE CHEESES: Late harvest, Icewine and port
