For my 1st Course Appetizer,

Roasted Potato, Pepper and Leek soup w/ Garlic Foam

I had the hearty, Roasted Potato, Pepper and Leek soup w/ Garlic Foam the other option for Appetizer was Radiccio Salad w/ Honey Vinaigrette, Goat cheese, Candied Pecans and Bacon Lardons.

For my 2nd Course Entree,

Braised Lamb Stew

I had the comforting, Braised Lamb Stew w/ Carrots, Brussel Sprouts garnished with Potato Ravioli the other option for Entrée was Butter Poached Albacore Tuna w/ Tuna Confit and Herb Risotto.

For my 3^rd Course Dessert,

Nanaimo Bar Custard

I had the outstanding Nanaimo Bar Custard with Vanilla custard on the bottom, topped with pecan, coconut, & chocolate ganache; the other option for Dessert was Beet and Carrot Cake w/ Blue Cheese Cream.

The Oakwood’s Dine Out Vancouver promotion runs thru February 5th.

Reservations for Dine Out are now being accepted via phone at 604-558-1965. The Oakwood is open for dinner from 5pm daily. For more information visit  http://www.theoakwood.ca/

By: Richard Wolak

On Monday I attended a lunch at The Bibo to launch the many new dishes on their latest menu.

Starting with the appetizers al imported from Italy, were

• Black and green olives from Salerno
• Porcini mushrooms from Piemonte
• Artichokes from Campania, and a selection of cheeses and cold cuts

The cheeses were: Fontina Dop from Val d’Aosta, taleggio and chilly Gorgonzola from Lombardia, fresh pecorino from Tuscany and stracchino.

The cold cuts: Mortadella, smoked pancetta, speck, prosciutto Di Parma, salame Felino and bresaola.

Next was the delicious lasagna served in two different ways: “alla bolognese” (with Ragu’ sauce, Dop buffalo mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano) and “al pesto” (made with their pesto, dop buffalo mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano). They continued with “Melanzane alla Parmigiana” (a kind of lasagna done with eggplants instead of pasta) and then their: “gnocchi al pesto”, “BiBo Matteo” (fresh handmade pasta with their imported porcini mushrooms) and “Rigatoni alla Norma”, typical Sicilian plate made with eggplants and ricotta salata. They also presented their new and delicious “gnocchi alla Sorrentina”, a typical dish from Sorrento done with gnocchi, Dop tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano (all finished in the wood oven, “gratin”).

To end the meal they then served the meat selection: “scaloppine”, served in two different ways (lemon and white wine) and their beautiful “tagliata”. Tagliata is the name that they use in Italy to define this particular slice of the meat. The tagliata is done by tomahawk steak and served with roasted potatoes from the wood oven.

The event was organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce to promote The BiBo as a complete restaurant where you can enjoy everything , from their pizza to the most authentic Italian dishes.

The Bibo is located at 1835 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver

Tel: 604-568-6177

Web: http://thebibo.com/

Twitter: @Thebibo

The new dishes are now available on their menu nightly starting at 5pm.

By: Richard Wolak

Potato Rolls, Butter and Sea Salt

It was nice to see Chef Jennifer Peters in the kitchen, both of her Dine Out menus had some gems, my dining companion and I ended up ordering off both of the menus. We were served a plate of freshly baked rolls with butter and sea salt.

For our 1^st Course Appetizer,

North Arm Farms Squash Soup

North Arm Farms Mushroom & Sunchoke Soup

I had the delicious North Arm Farms Squash Soupwith creme fraiche, toasted pumpkin seeds. My dining companion had the delicious North Arm Farms Mushroom & Sunchoke Soup.

Thiessens Duck Parfait

We then added an extra appetizer course to share as this was one that we were curious about, both of us loved this dish, the Thiessens Duck Parfait with brioche toasts and pear jelly.

For our 2nd Course Entree,

Eco-Tagged Line Caught Ling Cod

Wild BC Salmon

I had the outstanding Eco-Tagged Line Caught Ling Cod with a delicious side stripe shrimp, leeks, fennel & watercress risotto, with roasted garlic & herb butter. My dining companion loved the Wild BC Salmon with roast sunchokes, soffritto, and parmesan risotto, braised celery & chard.

Pumpkin Pot de Creme with apple, pear sorbet

Fromage Frais Cheesecake

Chocolate Ganache

For dessert, we mixed this up a bit and ordered an extra dessert. In my opinion my favourite dessert after trying the three was the Pumpkin Pot de Creme with apple, pear sorbet which had quite the contrasting flavours, the 2^nd favourite was the delicious and light Fromage Frais Cheesecake followed by the Chocolate Ganache in caramel sauce with Hazelnut Macarons.

Raincity Grill’s Dine Out Vancouver promotion runs thru February 5th.

Reservations for Dine Out are now being accepted via phone at 604-685-7337. Raincity Grill is open for dinner from 5pm daily. For more information visit http://www.raincitygrill.com/

By: Richard Wolak

Amuse Buche -selection of morsels

A treat as I discovered was seeing notable Executive Chef Robert Clark back in the kitchen taking over while Chef Lee Humphries is away. Rob will be in the kitchen through-out the dine out festival, say hello to him when you visit. This Dine Out menu that Chefs Robert Clark and Lee Humphries created highlights the best of BC and a commitment to sustainable practices, C’s menu for dine out offers the restaurant’s fine-dining experience at an incredible price point.

My friend Ryan West joined me for this wonderful dinner. To whet our appetite, we were served an Amuse Buche of tasty morsels on sticks. Then for our 1^st Course – Appetizer

North Arm Farms Beet Panzanella Salad

North Arm Farms Beet Panzanella Salad, harissa dressing, shaved ricotta salata

BC VQA Wine Pairing: Jackson Triggs White Meritage 2009

Pan Seared Foie Gras

We added an additional course ($15.00 extra) as our 2nd course and had the elegantly served  Pan Seared Foie Gras with Ginger Soda, Toasted Brioche and Cranberry Chutney, the experience alone was a wonderful addition to the menu, our server delivered the silver dome covered plates to the table to us voila!

For our 3^rd Course

Seared Albacore Tuna

 Seared Albacore Tuna, winter minestrone, garlic pistau and crisp basil

BC VQA Wine Pairing: SYL Ranch Nelly 2009

For our 4^th Course – Entree

Seared Lake Babine Salmon

Seared Lake Babine Salmon, squash puree, almond tapenade

BC VQA Wine Pairing: Nk’Mip Pinot Blanc 2010

Lemon Olive Oil Sorbet

Then to cleanse our palate after the outstanding Lake Babine Salmon we were served a Lemon Olive Oil Sorbet with an almond cookie ($4 additional cost).

Lastly to end this one of a kind Dine Out experience our 5^th Course – Dessert

Spiced Chocolate Pudding

Spiced Chocolate Pudding, Crisp Caramel Puffed Rice, Vanilla Chantilly

BC VQA Wine Pairing: Sumac Ridge Vintage Pipe 2006

C Restaurant’s Dine Out Vancouver promotion runs January 20th thru February 5th.

Reservations for Dine Out are now being accepted via phone at 604-681-1164. C Restaurant is open for dinner from 5pm daily. For more information visit www.crestaurant.com.

By: Richard Wolak

Last night, January 17^th, I attended the media opening party of Max’s Burgers, located across the street from Whole Foods on Cambie and 8^th Avenue.

Chef Connor Butler

Max’s Burgers is the brainchild of Chef Connor Butler (Connor Butler Restaurant, C, Pearl on the Rock) and Redpath Foods, the team that’s brought you Max’s Deli and Stuart’s Bakery for decades.

British Columbia Sliders

Rooster on a Tailgate Sliders

Hail to the King Crab Po’ Boy Slider

Kennebec Fries with Truffle Mayo

Fraser River Mud Shake

Media guests were treated to a casual sit down dinner party where we chowed down on mini versions of many of their burgers, from the tasty British Columbia Sliders (the beef), to the Rooster on a Tailgate Sliders (the chicken), to the Hail to the King Crab Po’ Boy Slider (the crab). I also ate the Kennebec Fries with Truffle Mayo, tried the Poutine and sampled several beverages including the favourite Fraser River Mud Shake followed by the Orange Creamsicle Shake which was my #2.

Now, Chef Connor is making ‘perfect burgers’, and serving them with refreshing cold beverages, milkshakes along with fries, onion rings, and yam fries -  all fried in tallow. Max’s Burgers is focusing on using as many local suppliers as possible and providing amazing burgers with attitude and affordability!

Max’s Burgers is located at 521 West 8th Avenue in Vancouver (Just West of Cambie Street behind the Liquor Store) and will be open for lunch and dinner daily after January 23^rd.

Call 604-873 6297 or visit them online at www.maxsburgers.ca or follow them on Twitter @maxsburgersvan

By: Richard Wolak

A packed house filled the award ceremony at the River Rock Hotel yesterday in Richmond. At the reception we dined on some of the winners dishes, a Gluttonous Rice dish as well as Durian Puffs. The panel of 12 professional chefs and food writers who ‘stepped up to the plate’ literally had ‘their plates full’ from July through mid-December as they tasted the best signature dishes to be found amongst Metro’s nearly 500 Chinese restaurants. Ballots were submitted to auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers with the results being unveiled at an ‘Oscars-style’ Awards Ceremony at the River Rock Show Theatre, emceed by Breakfast TV’s Dawn Chubai and ONMI TV’s Catherine Chan, held on January 11th in Richmond.

The guests were treated to a live cooking demonstration of Sautéed Geoduck with Egg White by the 2011 Chinese Chef of the Year, Tony Luk, of Jade Seafood Restaurant.

New Award Winners - Signature Dish Awards

The much-anticipated Critics’ Choice Signature Dish Awards were presented to start off the awards ceremony. As in previous years, Richmond and Vancouver were head-to-head in the running for gold. Richmond won the battle by taking 17 of the 28 awards, leaving Vancouver as runner up. The Gold Awards with Distinction were bestowed on five restaurants in Richmond for their continued high standards of their award-winning dishes. “We felt it was important to recognize these particular recipients who have persisted in maintaining a level of excellence that cannot be match anywhere else in Metro Vancouver,” says Lee Man, one of the food critics from the judging panel.

Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant - GOLD Award - Pan-Fried Prawns with Soy

James on Hastings Chinese Restaurant - GOLD Award - Dry fried Curry Dungeness Crab

This year, Signature Dish Dining Festival was inaugurated in November 2011 to encourage the public to visit 18 different restaurants over a period of 18 days throughout Vancouver, Richmond and Burnaby. The Festival proved to be a great success, attracting over 8,000 diners and generating over CAD$240,000 revenue. The participating chefs were asked to design new menus that featured Alberta Beef and Pork, British Columbia seafood, and Amoy sauces—pushing the boundaries of Chinese cuisine in Metro Vancouver into delicious new territories.

Shiang Garden Seafood Restaurant - BEST AMOY SAUCE DISH - Signature Dish Awards

In recognition of the restaurants’ achievements, seven new awards were created under the Festival’s category. The recipients of the Festival’s Best Alberta Beef, Best Alberta Pork, and Best Amoy Sauce Dish were voted by a panel of eight professional food critics and announced today during the ceremony. The remaining four awards, Best Restaurant Overall, Best Service, Best Dining Environment, and Most Innovative were voted online by diners and announced together with the 15 Diners’ Choice Awards on December 5th.

BEST DIM SUM Restaurant -- The Jade Seafood Restaurant - Diners Choice Awards

BEST XIAO LONG BAO - Dinesty Chinese Restaurant - Diners Choice Awards

BEST NEW Restaurant - Grand Dynasty Seafood Restaurant - Diners Choice Awards

BEST KING CRAB DISH - Excelsior Restaurant - Diners Choice Awards

Among the culinary contenders on the award-winning list, one avid competitor stood out from the pack. Richmond’s Shiang Garden Seafood Restaurant (Executive Chef, Wing Leung), a frequent award-winner in the history of the CRA, took home two of the 2012 Critics’ Choice Signature Dish Awards—Best Alberta Pork and Best Amoy Sauce Dish. The panel of judges felt that Chef Leung deserved special mention for his creativity in modifying his past award-winning dishes—Dongpo Style Braised Alberta Pork with Amoy Sauce and Fried Lobster with Green Onions in Amoy Premium Soy Sauce. As a Critics’ Choice Award recipient in the Festival category, Shiang Garden also received a prize of $2,500 in supply credits from the producers of Alberta Pork.

Click here for all the winners of the Chinese Restaurant Awards.

By: Richard Wolak

Photo Credit: Alvin KC Lee

Richard Chew - Co-Owner

Last night, December 14th I attended the opening party of Chewie’s Steam and Oyster Bar in Kitsilano.

Chef Tyrell Brandvold (2nd from left), Richard Chew (middle) and staff

Media guests were treated to a sit down dinner party where we could order anything we wanted off the menu and try as much as we were able to eat and drink all night long. It was a fun and festive atmosphere with a great playlist of tunes.

The staff were so hospitable and energized, all wearing their sporty t-shirts “Steamed, Stewed or Nude” referring to their oysters!

Shucking Oysters

Oysters, Oysters and more Oysters

They are showcasing many BC, Washington and east coast oysters at the huge 14 seat oyster bar you can also sit and admire the experts shucking you any type of oyster on the bed you chose! ”The menu offers fresh, local seafood being inspired by the delicious taste of New Orleans. The steam bar is unique to the city and guests will experience the true art of steam cooking southern classics like Gumbo, Etouffee, and Creole Mussels to name only a few, in the open kitchen concept.

The 'Buttermilk Biscuits'

I ate my way through the Buttermilk Biscuits, Southern Fried Chicken, Cheese Grits and the French Quarter Beignets.

Long-time restaurateur Richard Chew is one of the co-owners of Chewies, along-side partners Mel and Jamie Haddad. The bar features a selection of award winning and locally brewed craft beer. The wine list will reach from Naramata, British Columbia to Mendosa, Argentina and all the way to Marlborough, New Zealand.

Chewie’s Steam and Oyster Bar is located at 2201 West 1^st Avenue in Kitsilano. Open nightly and with brunch to begin mid-January.

Call 604-558-4448 or visit them online at http://www.chewies.ca or follow them on Twitter @ChewiesOysters

By: Richard Wolak

Cactus Club English Bay (under construction)

First off I had a chance to tour under construction Cactus Club in English Bay and as you can see from the above photo it is going to look quite unique. The building offers 90% window viewing, dining on the top level will provide for one of the best viewing spots in the city, looking outward on to English Bay. The building is fully Leed certified from a green roof to the rain water collection system on the lower level. The building is on two levels, upstairs you will find the dining room and downstairs is the kitchen as well as a bar/lounge area.

Chef Rob Feenie

Back to the Bentall location, where Chef Rob Feenie welcomed us and outlined his menu for the English Bay location. His team has created a selection of dishes that will only be available at the English Bay location along with the other Cactus Club favourites. Sebastien Le Goff – Manager-Sommelier talked about the wine selection that he will be bringing in along with some local breweries on tap.

On to the tasting lunch, I have noted the possible dishes to appear at their English Bay location.

1^st dish: #EnglishBay

Ceviche

Ceviche – scallops and salmon with nuoc cham dressing, basil, cilantro & mint

2^nd dish: #EnglishBay

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup – with Qualicum bay scallop and curry apple foam, herb oil

3^rd dish:

Mini Albacore Tuna Sandwich

Mini Albacore Tuna Sandwich – olive oil bun, herb tartar, bacon, arugula and cilantro, pickled ginger

4^th dish: #EnglishBay

Westcoast Seafood Salad

Westcoast Seafood Salad – BC spot prawns and albacore tuna tataki, crushed peanuts, heart of palm, mango and a selection of artisan greens with a yuzu vinaigrette

5^th dish: #EnglishBay

Sake Soy Marinated Sablefish

Sake Soy Marinated Sablefish – shimeji mushrooms, asparagus and fingerling potatoes with a barbeque duck broth

6^th dish:

Double Braised Pineapple Hoisin Short Rib

Double Braised Pineapple Hoisin Short Rib – tender slow-braised boneless short rib, sweet pineapple glaze, marinated shiitake mushrooms, spicy Korean chili sauce, pomme puree, crispy sugar snap peas

7^th dish: #EnglishBay

Dark Chocolate Mousse

Dark Chocolate Mousse – with a honey comb crunch and caramel foam

8^th dish:

Pumpkin Sticky Toffee Pudding

Pumpkin Sticky Toffee Pudding – warm spice cake, brown sugar toffee sauce, hand whipped cream

Cactus Club English Bay

1790 Beach Avenue, Vancouver

Web:   http://www.cactusclubcafe.com/location/english-bay/

By: Richard Wolak

1st dish:

Maple-Glazed Scallop wrapped in Pancetta

Maple-Glazed Scallop wrapped in Pancetta

Butternut squash risotto, citrus beurre blanc infused with sage

2nd dish:

Watercress & Frisee Salad

Watercress & Frisee Salad

Roasted baby beets,  aged gorgonzola, Bartlett pear, grapefruit vinaigrette

Palate Cleanser:

Pomegranate Sorbet

Pomegranate Sorbet

3rd dish:

Soya & Mirin Marinated Queen Charlotte Sablefish

Soya & Mirin Marinated Queen Charlotte Sablefish

Shiso-infused quinoa, oven dried tomatoes, chili aioli

4th dish:

Korean Kalbi-style Marinated Flat Iron Steak

Korean Kalbi-style Marinated Flat Iron Steak

Kimchi double-smoked bacon fried rice, Asian marinated vegetables

5th dish:

Baked Okanagan Apple Crumble

Baked Okanagan Apple Crumble

With vanilla bean ice cream

Each dish was very unique and had a different flavour profile. I loved the Butternut squash risotto in the 1^st dish, the Pomegranate Sorbet was not only refreshing it was also served in a house made ice cup with a sugar swirl suspended above the sorbet which was quite impressive. The Soya & Mirin Marinated Queen Charlotte Sablefish melted in my mouth and went well with the Shiso-infused quinoa in that dish. The Korean Kalbi-style Marinated Flat Iron Steak was perfectly prepared and the rub although having a bit of a zing was not too spicy.

Café Pacifica (Lobby level of the Pan Pacific Hotel Vancouver)

999 Canada Place, Vancouver

Tel: 604 895 2480

Web:   http://www.panpacific.com/en/Vancouver/Dining/CafePacifica.html

Twitter: @panpacificvan

By: Richard Wolak

Chefs Allan Bosomworth (l) & Karl Gregg (r)

Last night November 28^th I attended the opening party for the Founders Lounge at The Cultch.

Guests were treated to small plates and wine selections, a taste of the menu offerings.

East Vancouver’s highly respected Two Chefs and a Table have taken over management of all food programs at The Cultch. The Two Chefs team are going to run The Cultch’s food services using the same fresh, locally-sourced and sustainable approach developed running their original Alexander St. bistro and the ground breaking nose-to-tail Big Lou’s Butcher Shop on Powell St.

The 38-seat Founders’ Lounge is located at 1895 Venables Street in Vancouver (inside The Cultch) and is open six nights a week from 5:30-11pm serving tapas, wine, craft beer and cocktails to event attendees and the public alike. It’s also available for private bookings on non-event nights.

Reservations can be made at 604-340-3445.

For more information on The Cultch, visit thecultch.com.

By: Richard Wolak