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Andrew Morrison is the editor of local food and culture website Scout; the weekly restaurant critic at the Westender newspaper; a food writer for Vancouver, Harry, Western Living, and Conde Nast Traveler magazines; the editor of the Vancouver Cooks cookbook; and the National Referee at the annual Canadian Culinary Championships. He lives and works in Strathcona and is currently enjoying his 26th year in a row on a skateboard. |
1. A new authentic Neapolitan joint called Nicli Antica Pizzeria is opening up at 62 E. Cordova this July. We run a deficit of quality pizza in Vancouver, but this will be the real deal.
2. Former Market and Bao Bei general manager Paul Grunberg is opening a French-backboned boit called L'Abbatoir in the original Irish Heather space at 217 Carrall St. this summer.
3. La Buca and Pied-a-Terre co-owners Andrey Durbach and Chris Stewart are shutting down L'Altro Buca in the West End and are opening a new and tiny version of their old Parkside concept in the Ping's Cafe location at 2702 Main St. this June (kind of sucks that Ping's is closing, but life moves on).
4. Cool cat Kurtis Kolt of Gastown's Salt Tasting Room has won the Sommelier of the Year award at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, marking the first time a dude with a nose ring has ever won anything (but a Grammy) since Captain Blackbeard took possession of the vessel Good Intent in 1717.
5. The launch of the 4th Annual Spot Prawn Festival goes down at False Creek Fisherman's Wharf this May 8th (12pm-3pm). Some of our top chefs will be there, cooking up a storm of samples. You can also buy the wild, local critters directly from the fishermen. They're bigger, juicier, and much better tasting than the limp tiger prawns that are farmed across Southeast Asia. I'll be on the first boat ("Organic Ocean") returning with the first catch at noon. See you on the dock!
