Ryan Steele Mixes Cocktails
Ryan Steele is a Bartender at 1181 on Davie in Vancouver’s Westend neighborhood, where he has been mixing drinks for the past few years. As I stood at the bar talking with Ryan, I asked him to create a spectacular…
Category: Stories
Feature Articles covering all topics, interviews etc
Afternoon Tea at The Urban Tea Merchant
Afternoon Tea is an art and should be an extraordinary experience one that you will cherish. Vancouver has some wonderful places for you to indulge in an Afternoon Tea experience. Each of the places is unique in what they offer…
Celebrate the Games in Vancouver with Olympic Cocktails
As the 2010 Olympic Games approach, a few Vancouver restaurants and bars are getting into the Games-time spirit with their own Olympic-related beverage promotions. Here are some of the players, I had a chance to meet Bartender, “Jetside Johnny” at…
TASTE BC 2010 on January 19th
Liberty Wine Merchant is once again presenting TASTE BC 2010 a fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital-Oak Tree Clinic. The 16th annual celebration of local food and drink takes place January 19, 2010 (4:30-7:30 p.m.) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in…
Best Foodie Events of 2009
I went to a lot of different food and wine events during 2009 and these are the standouts of the year. 1) Coast Restaurant Opening party was the best restaurant opening of the year. 2) Ocean Wise Seafood Chowder Chowdown…
A Quest for the Best Grilled Cheese in Vancouver
I am sure that you can make your own Grilled Cheese at home and I am sure you can find a Grilled Cheese on many restaurant menus around the city. The Grilled Cheese is a favourite comfort food for many….
Creme Brulee Quest
Vancouver is beloved by many, for reasons as diverse as the array its attractions, and the global composition of its visitors. Besides the obvious aesthetic, climatic and recreational allure of this favoured destination, recently I discovered something culinary that sets a standard the ‘Creme…
GLOWBAL Prime Rib Sundays
I had no idea that I was going to enjoy a feast when I joined Raj Taneja (fellow food writer), Sophia Cheng (pr communicator) and Shinsuke JJ Ikegame (urban mixer) for Glowbal’s Sunday Prime Rib night. We first sat at…
Chinese Restaurant Moveable Feast
I was honoured to be invited to the Chinese Restaurant Awards Moveable Feast on December 8th that included various members of the media along with some publicists and Stepanie Yuen who were on hand to explain each of the dishes…
Interview with Chester Carey
Chester Carey | Vancouver What is a Certified Cicerone™? It is neither a pasta dish nor an Italian porn star. The Cicerone website has an entire page explaining this but I will try to summarize. Effectively a Certified Cicerone™ has…
Interview with Spencer Viehweger
JJ Bean | Vancouver I sat in on a Coffee Cupping session with Spencer at JJ Bean recently and talked with him about coffee and cupping and his role in JJ Bean and the community. What lead you to joining…
The BEST Hot Chocolate
Finding the best Hot Chocolate is all about comfort and bliss, there are places that serve Hot Chocolate, then there are places that create exceptional Hot Chocolate. This list is about the places that make exceptional Hot Chocolate: #1 goes…
Shaun Layton’s Creme Brulee Cocktail
Shaun Layton is a Bartender at George in Yaletown, as my friend Sheryl and I were sitting at the bar talking with Shaun and tasting some great dishes off the menu. Sheryl challenged Shaun to creating a Creme Brulee Cocktail,…
Princess Poppy Punch by Charlotte Voisey
Charlotte Voisey, Global Brand Ambassador for Hendrick’s Gin Princess Poppy Punch 1 bottle Hendrick’s 1/2 bottle Green Chartreuse 1/2 bottle Aperol 1 litre passion fruit juice Splash clementine juice Splash fresh lime Splash simple syrup 1 bottle sparkling rose wine…
Free Fall at Voya
Autumn’s answer to the popular summer ‘Mercury Rising’ Loden penthouse parties, the aptly-titled ‘Free Fall’ is where it’s at – every Thursday in the Voya Lounge (from 4-8 pm). Each week, Voya will be giving guests a little something special…
The Bean by Lauren Mote
Lauren Mote is a Bartender at The Refinery in Vancouver. After Lauren challenged some of her industry friends to name an ingredient or two which would make a great cocktail that she could create using the 2 ingredients as a…
Halloween Treats
What better way to celebrate the holiday than to pick up a treat for yourself or more treats for your friends or for your friends kids or for your kids. Here are some treats that caught my eye to help…
Celebrate Los Muertos at Zocalo
One of the most joyful and popular holidays in Mexico is ‘Dia de Muertos’ (Day of the Dead). The fiesta, which traces its roots back to the indigenous Aztec and Maya cultures, was originally celebrated in August. After the Spanish…
Behind The Scenes at Pourhouse
Bartender and Co-Proprietor Jay Jones takes me behind the bar and into the kitchen on a tour of their Gastown restaurant. My ‘Behind The Scenes” tour began a month before opening over an Espresso with Jay at Smartmouth Café in…
West Coast Chocolate Festival
I attended the opening night of this chocolate festival’s events which was the ‘Salon du Chocolat’. The event featured a sampling of chocolate, wines, beers, scotches, liqueurs, and teas. Some of the notable vendors included: Xoxolat www.xoxolat.com Rubens Chocolates www.rubenschocolate.ca…
Interview with Kyle Straw
Caffe Artigiano | Vancouver I had a talk recently with Kyle Straw who is one of the top Baristas in Vancouver, he won the Western Canadian Barista Championship in August 2009, I asked him to create some latte art and…
Richard’s Favourite Dishes
My friends have been asking what my favorite dishes are at these restaurants, rather than repeating this information to each person who asks, I have put together a list which is subject to change as I find more great dishes…