Ten years ago, Blue Water Café & Raw Bar executive chef Frank Pabst came up with an idea to promote less popular varieties of local and sustainable seafood. Items such as sea urchin, geoduck, and jelly fish were practically unheard of. Today, they are part of mainstream seafood menus across the city, in large part thanks to the efforts of Pabst and other like him. Now in its tenth year, the annual Unsung Heroes menu has become a much-anticipated event that draws thousands to the restaurant every February for tastes of lesser-known fruits of the sea. This years menu of share plates runs Feb. 1-28, and includes delights such as the sea urchin mousse in a crispy birds nest shell with ponzu jelly and avocado sauce ($12.50), chilled sea snails with saffron aioli ($9.50), and sardine stuffed with pine nut gremolata and wrapped in a crispy blanket with shaved fennel salad ($11.50).
The limited edition John Walker & Sons Odyssey, a luxury blended Scotch whisky, is now available in Canada. Only 46 bottles will arrive in the country (24 bottles for BC), and sell for roughly $2,000 per 750 mL bottle.
Café for Contemporary Art, the popular North Shore art gallery/tacqueria/coffee shop, has opened a second location at 826 Renfrew in Vancouver.
We Heart Local has released a gorgeous interactive app on iTunes that provides a geo-targeted location map of local, BC food spots, recipes using local ingredients, and a guide to whats in season.
Pidgin has added noted barman Justin Darnes (formerly of Savoy American Bar in London, House Guest and George Ultra Lounge) to its team. Darnes is the creator of the worlds first 100 per cent biodynamic cocktail.
CedarCreek Estate Winery, twice recognized as Canadian Winery of the Year, has been sold by the owners to von Mandl Family Estates, which also owns Mission Hill Family Estate and CheckMate Artisanal Winery.
Long Table Distillery is launching its Gin & Tonic Fridays this Friday, January 31, from 4pm to 8pm. Come to the distillery at 1451 Hornby Street for a G&T and some food truck nibbles, this week with Vijs Railway Express.
Bambudda has launched their lunch service on Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 2pm. Popular dishes like the crispy chicken skin and pork buns join new items like Chinese hanger steak, chicken congee, and squid salad.
Anya Levykh has been writing about all things ingestible for over a decade. Hear her every Monday on CBC Radio Ones On the Coast, follow her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and catch up at FoodGirlFriday.com.
