Casual, comfortable and affordable thats the way executive chef Chris Whittaker describes his new restaurant, Forage. Forage represents everything I care about: respect for our food sources, using what we need without excess waste and bringing a community together around good food. This is the restaurant I have dreamed of. The innovative and unpretentious restaurant is in the former ODouls at the Listel Hotel (1300 Robson). They have been working with the Green Table Network, BC Hydro and LiveSmart BC to ensure the restaurant also showcases what can be done to reduce our reliance on the earths natural resources. Forage is slated to open on November 20. It will be open from breakfast to dinner every day.
Burma is accustomed to absorbing outside influences into its daily life. Award-winning author and photographer Naomi Duguid is renowned for her ability to capture the perfect image with her camera and her writing style. And Maenams chef Angus An is continually enhancing his reputation for creating dishes that explore new tastes. On Nov. 9, Barbara-jos Books to Cooks is celebrating all three with a Tastes of Burma dinner at Maenam with Duguid. Tickets are $55 and include a signed copy of Duguids book, Burma: Rivers of Flavour. Call 604-688-6755 to register.
Celebrity chef Michael Smith is coming to Vancouver and two dinners have been planned to showcase his new book, Fast Flavours: 110 Simple Speedy Recipes. On Nov. 13, CBC Radio personality Margaret Gallagher and Barbara-Jos Books to Cooks will host a lively conversation with Chef Smith at Hamilton Street Grill from 5:30 to 7. The dinner, which includes a signed copy of Fast Flavours, is $55. Smith will be saving room for a delicious seasonal dinner later that night at Bishops, where Chef John Bishop has designed a menu that pays tribute to the book and Vancouvers sources of sustainable food. Tickets are $110 and include a signed copy of the book. To reserve your tickets call 604-688-6755 or drop by the store at W. 2nd and Burrard.
Four Gastown restaurants in one night its a tough job but Vancouver foodies are up to it! Dishcrawls premise is that communities can be brought together through good food and good company. Participating restaurants are kept secret until two days before the Nov. 14 event but with so many wonderful restaurants in Gastown, how could any of them be a bad choice? Tickets are $49 and are available at Dishcrawl.com/Vancouver.
Meanwhile, on Nov. 21 Vancouver Foodster Richard Wolak is giving people a chance to sample whats on offer at seven restaurants in Chinatown and Strathcona. With your $30 ticket (or plan to go with three friends for $100), you take a self-guided tour of East of Main Café, Harvest Community Foods, Beta 5, Treasure Green Tea, Pazza Rella Food Truck, Oyster Express and Floata Seafood Restaurant from 6 to 9:30pm. VancouverFoodster.com
Has anyone ever figured out how many calories an hour of shopping consumes? Shoppers at Holt Renfrew can give themselves an energy boost at the Soirette Macarons and Tea pop-up shop at the downtown location. Soirettes holiday-inspired creme brulée macaroni is available exclusively at Holt Renfrews from Nov. 8 to Dec. 24. There will also be custom blended teas and special gift sets. Soirette.com | HoltRenfrew.com
Seven critics have already begun searching for the 2013 winners of the Critics Choice Signature Dish Awards. But you can take part in the 5th annual Chinese Restaurant Awards. From now until Nov. 14, you can nominate your favourite restaurant at ChineseRestaurantAwards.com; voting for your top 20 nominees takes place between Nov. 15 and Jan. 4. Five new categories Best Taiwanese Beef Noodle, Best Pan-fried Shanghainese Bun, Best B.C. Dungeness Crab, Best Stir-fried Eggs with Prawns, and Best Salt & Pepper Pork Loin have been added for a total of 18 categories.
Hamilton Street Grills monthly wine tasting series continues with a sampling of three La Frenz wines paired with appetizers. Its a sit-down event on Nov. 19 and 20, from 5:30 to 7pm. Tickets are $25 and reservations must be made by either calling 604-331-1511 or emailing [email protected]. On Nov. 29, Bistro Pastis is toasting the wines of Osoyoos Larose. Chef Tobias Grignon will be demonstrating some of the techniques hes used in coming up with the special menu for winemaker Pascal Madevon. Tickets are $110 and include a five-course dinner, full wine pairing, taxes and gratuities. Call 604-731-5020 to reserve.
Fat Dragon is releasing the Kraken when it prepares a monster of a meal featuring local oysters, crabs, lams, scallops, mussels and shrimp around a communal table on Nov. 21. Tickets are $55 and include beverage pairings, such as Oyster Stout and Red Roof cider. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are available on Eventbrite.com. FatDragonBBQ.com
Just in time for the holidays, Ganache Patisserie is introducing some exciting new flavors such as saké vanilla bean creme brulée, rosemary milk chocolate ganache, malted chocolate mouse, Earl Grey Bavarian cream and gianduja mousse in its new winter men. Samples are available at the Nov. 10 launch at 1262 Homer yum!
Granville Island Brewery is challenging men to get a little beer foam on their new staches. Once again, its growing all out for this annual fundraiser for mens cancers. (In the past three years, its raised almost $300,000 during Movember.) Enjoy a cold Lions Winter Ale and contribute to the cause at the participating pubs, which include Café Crepe, Mahony and Sons, Cocorico, Famous Warehouse, Loose Moose, The Mill, Score, Lennox Pub, Fountainhead Pub, The Factory, Famous Warehouse, Ceilies Granville, Burrard Bridge, TC Lions, The Blarney Stone, The Pint, Speakeasy (Davie, Broadway and Granville), Checkers Bar and Grill, Two Parrots, Numbers, Forum, Relish, Pacifico Pizzeria, Beaver & Mullet, Roxy Burger, Shark Club, Marriott Pinnacle, Room 18, Rennaissance Hotel and Oscars Pub.
