Lips Resto, which opened in the West End in May 2015 has gone through a re-boot and re-opened as Village Bistro. The new menu has moved away from the original sharing plate theme and now claims to be focused on “bistro-style comfort food with Canadian flavours.”
Taste Canada—The Food Writing Awards winners have been announced, and Tofino’s The SoBo Cookbook has won for Best Regional/Cultural Cookbook in Canada. Congratulations to chef Lisa Ahier of SoBo and her writing and cooking teams!
Acclaimed locavore chef David Gunawan of Royal Dinette is holding two “Ugly Duckling” dinners on Oct. 20 and Nov. 24 aimed at bringing attention to sustainability issues around food waste. The five-course menu showcases overlooked and often-discarded offcuts and “outcasts.” Expect dishes such as egg shell-clarified chicken consommé, baked potato skin mousse, and coffee ground-infused ice milk. Tickets $79 per person, including dinner and beverage pairings.
Bauhaus executive chef Stefan Hartmann has launched a new fall tasting menu featuring seared elk with pumpkin, fried shallot croquettes with black trumpet mushrooms, poached char with potato foam, potato crisp, caviar and pepper cress, and chocolate with lavender and honey-glazed pear. Choose from four, five or six-course options, starting at $75.
Campagnolo Roma’s popular Quinto Quarto supper series returns on Oct. 14 with a harvest-themed dinner paired with beer from Strange Fellows and Powell Street breweries. Dishes include smoked and cured lamb belly in brioche, slow cooked and grilled pork tongue, smoked octopus, spaghetti with red sea urchin, stuffed beef heart and coronation grape sorbetto with foie gras and grape caramel, among others. Tickets $78 including dinner, beer and gratuity.
Mamie Taylor’s regional longtable supper series, “Taste of the States,” continues on Oct. 21 with a taste of Charleston, South Carolina. The four-course dinner includes a welcome craft cocktail, devilled eggs, fried prawns and succotash, slow-cooked pork tenderloin, and peach crumble. Tickets $45 per person.
The Uncommon Café is launching a new pizza party dinner series on Oct. 16. Make pizza with the chef, roll out your dough, pick your own toppings, then sit and enjoy. Tickets are $40 and include appetizers, pizza, frozen dough balls to take home, and the recipe.
Thierry Café has launched a new fall menu all centred around salted caramel. In addition to warming drinks like the salted caramel mocha and latte, as well as the salted caramel chai, there is also a salted caramel apple cocktail with Manzana green apple liqueur and Brugal Dominican rum, and matching desserts.
In other sweet news, Thomas Haas has unveiled a fall line-up that includes Thanksgiving, Hallowe’en and even Movember ‘stached creations, including a pumpkin “crate” stuffed handmade truffles, a chocolate jack-o-lantern filled with 30 chocolate treats, and Movember lollipops, bars and a custom cake.
West Restaurant is celebrating Thanksgiving with a special seven-course $75 prix-fixe menu available for dinner from Monday, Oct. 5 through to Monday, Oct. 12. Dishes include roasted carrot salad, butter-braised lingcod, sage roasted turkey, crispy bread pudding, and several desserts.
On Oct. 17, Les Dames d’Escoffier BC Chapter will hold its annual gala dinner, this year honouring Lynn Crawford of Food Network Canada and Ruby Watchco restaurant in Toronto. The dinner will feature dishes by chefs Lisa Ahier of SoBo, Connie deSousa of Charcut, Jackie Ellis of Beaucoup Bakery, Bruno Feldeisen of Four Seasons Hotel, Hamid Salimian of Earls’ chef collective and Ned Bell of Four Seasons and Yew Seafood Restaurant & Wine Bar. Tickets are $325 per person, including a sparkling wine reception and multi-course dinner with wine pairings.
