• It’s the ‘80s all over…except the blow is slightly sweeter now. Licorice Parlour on Commercial Drive is offering customers “snorts” of chocolate powder for $2 a sniff. Yes, this is a thing, by way of Belgium, and Licorice is the first place to offer it in Vancouver. If you want to get all fancy with it, you can buy an entire chocolate-snorting kit for $109. No word yet on possible adverse side effects such as nasal scarring, lung irritation or infection (as has happened with children who tried to snort candy), so maybe go easy on the lines for now.
• Sad news…Kitsilano Daily Kitchen owner Brian Fowke has announced the sale of his longstanding and popular restaurant. No date announced yet for final service, so get in while the getting’s good and stay tuned for updates.
• Oyama Sausage Company’s Choucroute Festival is back Jan. 22-25. Oyama will once again be offering their housemade sauerkraut, paired with a selection of their sausages and charcuterie, for the classic Alsatian dish.
• The Vancouver Gluten-Free Expo is back Jan. 17-18 at Canada Place. Visit more than 120 vendors, Kids’ Fun Zone, and listen to multiple speakers on topics from reducing inflammation to gluten-free alternates and superfoods.
• Japan’s Pepper Lunch, the popular “fast steak” eatery, is opening its first Canadian location in Richmond next month on No. 3 Road, with a downtown Vancouver location following soon after.
• The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival returns for its fifth year Jan. 17-Feb. 14. The city’s best bakers, chocolatiers, pastry shops, gelato and ice cream shops will once again be churning out inventive hot chocolate beverages and pairings. New participants this year include 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, Butter Baked Goods and Diva at the Met, as well as Chez Christophe and Glenburn Soda Fountain and Café in Burnaby. You’ll have 29 days to try all 57 flavours on offer.
• Secret Location’s “A Dining Journey” has begun with themed 10-course tasting dinner menus around the cuisine of Spain. From now until Jan. 17, experience Chef Alvarez’s take on classic Spanish dishes. Tickets are $95 per person and include cocktail and wine pairings.
• On Jan. 17, Here There, in collaboration with Music on Main and Juice Truck, is hosting Roam, an evening of classical music and dinner. This pop-up evening will take place at The Juice Truck Café at 28 West 5th, with a three-course meal by chef Annabelle Choi paired with three live classical music performances. Tickets are $42.
• Vancouver Aquarium is hosting The Sustainable Table on Feb. 20. Showcasing the best of BC’s local and sustainable ingredients, each dinner is overseen by Vancouver Aquarium executive chef Tim Bedford, as well as a guest chef. Chef Robert Clark will be in the kitchen along with chef Bedford, creating six sustainable courses. One glass of wine is also included, with additional alcohol purchase available throughout the evening. Tickets $105 each.
