Vancouver's best-kept restaurant secrets

GK Media Inc is pleased to present a new feature article:

Food Seattle Select Guide: Cocktail Garnishes

Directly from the Serafina Osteria & Enoteca Press Release:

Festa di San Martino

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Seattle (Oct. 30, 2009)  St. Martin is the patron saint of winemakers, grape growers and drunks! His feast day marks the close of the agricultural year and functions as the old world equivalent to our Thanksgiving Day Celebration.

MENU

Antipasti

‘Anguilla en Vernaccia’

Spanish mackerel poached in white wine, marinated and served with green and

white beans, radicchio and bottarga di muggine

2007 Teruzzi & Puthod “Rondolino” Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG

‘Sformato di zucca’

Roasted butternut squash sformato with parmesan frico, hazelnuts,

crispy sage and pumpkinseed oil

2006 Teruzzi & Puthod Terre di Tufi Toscana IGT

Insalata

‘Insalata di mele, finocchio e prosciutto’

Shaved green apples, fennel and arugula with Prosciutto di Parma

2007 Sella & Mosca Terre Bianche Torbato di Alghero DOC

Primi

‘Coniglio ripieno’

Rabbit ripieno with mostarda di Cremona, straw potato cake and natural jus

2005 Sella & Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva

Entrée

‘Anatra arrosto’

Roasted duck breast and braised leg, parsnip gratin and chanterelle confit

2003 Sella & Mosca Tanca Farra DOC

Dolce

‘Torta di cioccolato’

Chocolate and almond torte with honeyed ganache and huckleberry compote

2001 Sella & Mosca Marchesi di Villamarina

About Serafina Osteria & Enoteca

Serafina Osteria & Enoteca is located at 2043 Eastlake Avenue East in Seattle. The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. To 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for lunch and from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 to 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday for dinner. The bar is open for happy hour from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Daily and late night nibbles are available nightly until midnight. Brunch is served from 10:00 a.m. To 2:30 p.m. On Sundays. For reservations please call (206) 323-0807. Visit www.serafinaseattle.com for more information.

Directly from the Pepper Bridge Press Release:

PEPPER BRIDGE AND AMAVI CELLARS TO SHARE

NEW WOODINVILLE TASTING ROOM

The owners of Pepper Bridge and Amavi Cellars, Walla Walla-based wine producers, have secured space on the property of the Hollywood Schoolhouse in Woodinville for a tasting room anticipated to open in late Spring, 2010.

Pepper Bridge, a family-owned estate winery, established a reputation for ultra-premium, world-class Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from their first release in 1991.  The wines showcase their vineyard sources – Pepper Bridge Vineyard and Seven Hills Vineyard –which are recognized as two of the best – not only in the Walla Walla appellation – but also in the state. These vineyards practice sustainable viticulture, remaining committed to the long-term viability of the winemaking industry in the Walla Walla Valley.

The resulting wines have received widespread acclaim and have been recommended by tasters worldwide since the first vintage. Critics have used words such as “elegant,” “killer,” and “stylish” to describe their Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

“We hope that visitors to our new Woodinville tasting room will find these descriptions appropriate,” says Managing Partner Norm McKibben.  “Perhaps they will share with us some additional adjectives of their own.”

Amavi Cellars crafts elegant, approachable wines, focusing on estate-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.  They also make small amounts of Sémillon, Rosé, and dessert wines that are typically available only in the tasting room.  The name is a combination of the Latin root words “am” (love) and “vi” (life), representing the owners’ simple pursuits: love, life and wine.

The tasting room will be located at the Hollywood Schoolhouse at the intersection of 148th Avenue N.E. and N.E. 145th Street, near other wineries including Bookwalter Wine Studio, Mark Ryan Winery and Ross Andrew Winery.  The wineries’ website addresses are, respectively, www.pepperbridge.com and www.amavicellars.com.

GK Media Inc is pleased to be presenting an ongoing collection of recipes from various cookbooks.
The recipe that will be featured today is Dry Aged Rib-Eye Steak from the Vancouver Cooks 2 Cookbook.

To download all of the recipes please use the recipe iPod guide or go to the Recipes page.

To have a chance to win a copy of the Vancouver Cooks 2 cookbook and 4 Tickets to the West Coast Christmas Show please enter our November 12th, 2009 newsletter draw.

Directly from the VSO Press Release:

NOVEMBER CONCERT LISTINGS

VANCOUVER, BC – Autumn is in full stride in November, and so is the VSO. The month is filled with many great concerts, featuring a visit by classical music’s most exciting superstar, one of the world’s great conductors, and an up-and-coming Pops conductor just appointed as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic Pops. There is also a celebration of history’s greatest musical genius, featuring music composed in the final year of his all too short life.

The month begins with a Surrey Nights concert of Mendelssohn and Bruch featuring VSO soloists Mary Sokol Brown and Andrew Brown. Up next is the highly-anticipated appearance of inimitable superstar Lang Lang who will play one of the most exciting piano concertos in the repertoire: Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

The VSO celebrates the 200th Anniversary of the births of Mendelssohn, Schumann and Chopin with the following November concerts: The beautiful music of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor is highlighted with Vancouver favourites Angela Cheng, Christopher Gaze (narrating excerpts from the famous Shakespeare play), and the Elektra Women’s Choir. Ms. Cheng sticks around for a concert of Fanny Mendelssohn’s Overture in C major, Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Schumann’s Symphony No. 4.  Up next is a very special evening of Mendelssohn and Schumann’s chamber music led by Maestro Bramwell Tovey and featuring several VSO soloists throughout.

Another season highlight is Mozart’s Requiem which will feature soprano Kathleen Brett, mezzo Elizabeth Turnbull, tenor Benjamin Butterfield, and baritone John Relyea.  This concert also includes music from Mozart’s The Magic Flute and La Clemenza di Tito. The following week, esteemed conductor Sir Andrew Davis makes his long-awaited VSO debut in a concert that also features soprano Celena Shafer performing Richard Strauss’s Brentano Lieder. Sir Andrew also conducts Elgar’s epic Symphony No. 1, a work for which he has a special love and affinity.

A Tea & Trumpets matinee of Great Russian Classics follows with Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake: Waltz, excerpts from Stravinsky’s Firebird, and Shostakovich’s Festive Overture. The month ends with a VSO Pops concert of Silver Screen Classics. Exciting young Pops conductor Steven Reineke, protégé of the late great Erich Kunzel and newly appointed director of the New York Philharmonic Pops, will lead a program of great music from classic Hollywood movies, including Gone With the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Doctor Zhivago, The Magnificent Seven, The Godfather, Exodus, Titanic, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and many more.

Directly from the Zocalo Restaurant Press Release:

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 conquest, the Catholic Church moved it to the present date of November 2nd in an attempt to assimilate the ‘pagan’ celebration into the Christian holy days of All Hallows Eve and All Saints Day (Oct.31 and Nov.1). However, Los Muertos caught on with all strata of Mexican society and it grew into the wildly popular holiday it is today where friends and family gather to honour the dead with special meals and family shrines.

Enter Zocalo, a little restaurant tucked into Main Street near Broadway. ‘Zocalo’ is the Mexican word for the square or plaza found in every Mexican village, town and city. It’s a meeting place where friends and family gather to share a meal, indulge in gossip, check out everyone else and be entertained. In other words, it is the heart of every Mexican community. In celebration of Los Muertos, Vancouver’s Zocalo will be offering a very special three-course menu for the value price of $25 per person. It has been created in commemoration of ‘El Santo,’ Rodolfo guzman Huerta, Mexico’s most famous ‘luchador’ (masked wrestler – think Jack Black in Lucha Libre). El Santo came from the state of Hidalgo and Zocalo’s Los Muertos menu reflects dishes that he is known to have loved.

Chef Tanya Shklanka and her talented brigade of Mexican cooks have produced a menu guaranteed to put you in a festive mood and enliven your palate. For starters diners have a choice of Pozole Verde, a traditional soup served at weddings, family gatherings and fiestas, or Chile Relleno de Hongos which is a roasted poblano chile filled with portobello mushroom, onion and tequila ragout dressed with a pasilla chile sauce.

For mains there is a choice between Barbacoa de Borrego or Pollo con Mole Negro. Barbacoa de Borrego is melt-in-your mouth slow-cooked lamb accompanied by salsa verde, guacamole and homemade corn tortillas. Pollo con Mole Negro is Mexico’s answer to France’s Coq au Vin. Chicken stewed in a traditional sauce of black chiles, nuts, spices and tomatoes resulting in a flavourful dish served with rice and the ubiquitous warm corn tortillas.

Life is sweet and so is the end of this meal. The Mexicans invented chocolate and named it ‘food of the gods.’ What could be more heavenly than Hot Coochie y Pan de Muertos? Homemade Mexican hot chocolate with a bit of kick and accompanied by traditional Pan Muertos, a traditional sweet bread flavoured with orange and anise. The other choice is Capirotada – a Mexican style bread pudding chock-a-block full of goodies such as dried cranberries, blueberries roasted hazelnuts and panela cheese suffused with spiced piloncillo (raw brown sugar) syrup. Yum.

El Santo’s favourite libation was a cold Negra Modelo and that is the recommended pairing with the Los Muertos menu. If cerveza is not your drink of choice, Zocalo Los Muertos Menu also offers a special tequila pairing to accompany each course for an additional $20. The restaurant stocks Vancouver’s largest selection of tequilas; or you may prefer sangria, a Latino-inspired cocktail or a selection from their Carta de Vinos available by the glass, half litre and bottle.

When you have a holiday as fun and flavourful as Los Muertos, it’s a pity it lasts a day or two. The good news is that at Zocalo Restaurant, the Los Muertos menu will be available for 15 days starting November 1st straight through to November 15th. In addition to the special menu, Zocalo Restaurant will feature a traditional Shrine and to get things off to a festive start on November 1st, there will be a Mariachi band to entertain. Bring a little Mexican warmth to dreary November and live it up at Zocalo Restaurant with Los Muertos, November 1st through 15th. Reservations recommended 604-677-3521.

Directly from the Le Gavroche Press Release:

As cooler weather prevails, so too does classic cuisine at Le Gavroche. But classic takes on new meaning as Manuel Ferreira and Chef Rob Guest introduce their newest menu. Suckling pig has made its way to Le Gavroche Thursday evenings and Cassoulet is featured on Sundays; both at $35.00 for 3 courses. And take the decisions out of ordering wine by letting the well educated staff at “Le Gav” select the wine pairings for you.  For more information or to make a reservation call 604-685-3924.

Diners at Le Gavroche return time and again for favourites such as Rack of Lamb  and the famous Soufflé. For the adventurous palate dishes such as Escargots & Goat Cheese Parcel with Seared Frog Legs and Garlic cream or Venison Chop with Strawberry Ketchup and Chocolate Infused Demi have already become “must haves”. And though the menu may have changed the same casually elegant service and table side hospitality of Ferreira and his team remains the same.

Opened in 1978, Le Gavroche is one of Vancouver’s longest standing fine dining establishments, offering classical French cuisine in a relaxed, intimate atmosphere. The gently refurbished Victorian house (circa 1910’s) features views of the Coastal Mountains and Coal Harbour from the upstairs terrace and a cozy fireplace for those cold winter evenings.  For more information, check out the website at www.legavroche.ca or call 604-685-3924.  Le Gavroche is located at 1616 Alberni Street in Vancouver, BC.

Directly from the Society Dining Lounge Press Release:

Expect the unexpected as SOCIETY Dining Lounge - a positively unpredictable new venue - opens Thursday, October 29 at 1257 Hamilton Street in Vancouver’s Yaletown. Like Los Angeles’ sultry, electric dining lounges that stirred its original inspiration, SOCIETY is a place where opposites attract, creating all-new pleasures.

“We’re all searching for new experiences,” says proprietor Emad Yacoub. “The fresh, the bold, the different. When opposites come together to create unexpected new sensations, it excites us. That’s what Society is all about.” Clues to this chemistry are revealed in SOCIETY’s design created by Vancouver’s BOX Interior Design.

Décor boldly contrasts glamour with comfort. Its 40-seat street-side patio with eggplant-hued leather banquettes and wicker chairs lend a feel of Sunset Strip to the loading-dock sidewalks of Hamilton Street. Inside is where SOCIETY comes together. Overhead, two oversized electric pink, handcrafted Mod-Murano chandeliers set the tone. Below, snug banquettes of deep purple and pearly leather, and tufted black-leather bar stools with striking gold legs set apart the more casual brasserie chairs. Upstairs in the lounge, up-lit bronze acrylic panels line the back wall and combine with an eclectic mix of lounge seating options. Bronze toned wooden screens of geometric interlocking circles surround the double height space, separating the lounge from the dining area below, creating allure and a sense of mystery.

SOCIETY’s cuisine embodies this union of opposites, where down-home meets completely new. Executive Chef Brandon Thordarson re-imagines familiar comfort food. From Tomato Soup with Mini Grilled Cheese Sandwiches to Shake n’ Bake Chicken, childhood stand-bys are charged with refined, inventive ingredients. “SOCIETY is all about mixing things up,” says Yacoub. “This is your play room. Don’t be shy. Bring your favourite people. Settle in for Kahlua milkshakes and scope out the scene. Anything can happen here. I know you’ll love it.”

SOCIETY is open daily: Monday through Friday, 11:30 am to 12:00 am; Saturday and Sunday 4:30 pm to 12:00 am.

Directly from the Bistro Pastis Press Release:

It doesn’t take a detective like the famous Mr. Holmes to know that late autumn is the peak of wild game season. From England to New England, British Columbia to Brittany, hunters (‘chasseur’ en français) respond to the ancient instinct to go out and literally ‘bring home the bacon’ (or the chop, steak or roast for that matter). In France, chasseur are particularly ubiquitous at this time of year; the countryside ringing with the sound of shot guns and hunting dogs. Game’s distinctive taste and texture lends itself well to slow roasting and braising. It marries well with rich wine-based sauces and sweet additions such as dried fruit. It’s fall food - big flavours to sate hearty appetites.

At Bistro Pastis, owner John Blakeley has designed a Wild Game Menu in homage to the chasseur of his childhood. Priced at $55 for three courses, it will be available from November 1st – 30th.

Start with a choice of paper-thin slices of Caribou Carpaccio (crispy capers, shaved Parmesan and horseradish aioli) or Consommé de Volaillie with Duck Confit Dumpling or a robust Game and Prune Terrine. All modern interpretations of standard bistro fare.

The choices for mains become even more difficult. Do you choose the Rabbit Trio (saddle roulade, confit leg and red wine-braised leg) or a delicate Oven Roasted Squab (with traditional sautéed fingerling potatoes, braised baby carrots and fennel, pan jus). Just when you think you’ve settled on one, you discover a third choice – Bison Osso Bucco complete with fettuccine and sweet potato/squash ragoût. Oh my, now what do you do? Why share some of your choice with your dining companions so that you all get to taste.

Two sumptuous desserts close off the meal – Brioche Bread Pudding with wild berry compote, Sauce Anglaise and Gâteau Basque with Vanilla Ice Cream - a traditional cake from France’s Southwest region in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The ‘cake’ is more like a tart with a sablé (shortbread) crust encasing a silky pastry cream filling.

At Bistro Pastis good food is no mystery. Treat yourself, your family and friends to an evening sitting by Pastis’ cosy fireplace while indulging in the Wild Game Menu.

Reservations are highly recommended and can by calling 604-731-5020.

Directly from the Sun Peaks Press Release:

Sun Peaks, BC (October 27, 2009) – Wine enthusiasts and foodies alike will be keeping their fingers crossed, hoping that tickets for the Sun Peaks signature festival will be under their Christmas tree! The 12th Annual Winter Wine Festival returns January 16 to 24, 2010 and with over 15 events to choose from, tickets for this world class festival make the perfect stocking stuffer this Christmas!

Formerly the Icewine Festival, the new Winter Wine Festival is an expanded nine day event with five new wine and culinary events. “Whether guests consider themselves a wine connoisseur or just a wine rookie, there are an array of events available to satisfy every palette and budget,” says Jen Barter, Resort Experience Manager at Tourism Sun Peaks.

New events include the Varietal Showdown and Dinner, where guests will explore the distinct flavours of BC wines during a unique seasonal dinner, and the Sun Peaks Bartender Mixology Face-off, where competitors must produce a cocktail that includes wine and/or Icewine as an ingredient and guests will decide the winner! Head to www.sunpeaksresort.com/winterwine for a full event schedule.

Event tickets range from $17 per person (Sun Peaks Wine and Dine) to $125 per person (Varietal Showdown and Dinner) and accommodation packages start from $139 per night. For the best value, purchase a multi-day package by November 16 and receive 10% off!

Ski, Sip & Stay Package – Starting from $480 per person*

Enjoy three nights accommodation, two days of skiing and three events of your choice.
Package pricing is per person based on double occupancy in our best value hotel room or studio. Package pricing is based on two adults skiing for two days. Upgrades are also available. Rates are subject to availability, plus applicable taxes and may change without notice. The package pricing is based on one seminar, one dinner and one tasting event for two people. Other restrictions may apply. Valid Saturday, January 15, 2010 to Sunday, January 24, 2010.

Winter Getaway Package – Starting from $229 per person*

Enjoy two nights accommodation and two Winter Wine Festival events per person

Package pricing is per person based on double occupancy in our best value hotel room or studio. Upgrades are also available. Rates are subject to availability, plus applicable taxes and may change without notice. The package pricing is based on one seminar and one event (Taste of Sun Peaks, Sun Peaks Progressive Tasting or Winter Wine Brunch). Other restrictions may apply. Valid Saturday, January 15, 2010 to Sunday, January 24, 2010.

Create your own Winter Wine Adventure – Accommodation from $139 per night*

Advertised prices are based on double occupancy in our best value hotel room or studio. Upgrades are also available. Rates are subject to availability, plus applicable taxes and may change without notice. Other restrictions may apply. Valid Saturday, January 15, 2010 to Sunday, January 24, 2010.

For full packages, single event tickets and more information, call 1-877-212-7107 or check out www.sunpeaksresort.com/winterwine.

IL Nido has a new Autumn Menu

October 26th is Whisky Monday at Elixir Bistro

Free Beer at Darby’s on Sunday and Mondays with purchase of any burger. Please call for more information.

October 29th, Wine and Chocolate tasting at Irashai Grill

October 29th to Nov 1st get your spooky cocktails at Voya Restaurant

New Fall Dinner Series at Bistro 101

AIDS Benedict - Brunch with Benefits is November 28th and 29th

October 28th is the Candlelight Conversation Dinners.

October 23rd to November 8th is Dine Italia

Directly from the Hamilton Street Grill Press Release:

This month we present Desert Hills Wines from the Black Sage Bench’s of Oliver, BC

Monday, November 2nd and/or Tuesday, November 3rd 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

In keeping with our popular format, try a sampling of three new wines and have three savoury, wine-inspired food tasters while learning from a wine expert as they take you through a sit down yet casual style tasting. At $25 per person, this tasting really is a bargain.

This month we are pouring Desert Hills wines from Oliver, BC alongside Hamilton Street Grill’s Executive Chef Neil Wyles’ wine inspired appetizers. Neil makes excellent choices when pairing his appetizers with the wines and the tasting format is casual, informative and fun! Further info on the wine at www.deserthills.ca

Directly from the Wine on the Mountain Press Release:

On Saturday, November 7th join us for Wine on the Mountain - A premier wine & food pairing fundraising party for the Adoptive Families Society of BC on Grouse Mountain, the Peak of Vancouver.

One the most interesting food and wine events of the year, Wine on the Mountain is a beautifully decorated, interactive, gala food and wine love affair on the top of one of Vancouver’s premier ski destinations, home to NBC’s the Today Show this winter. Cocktail dressy is Vancouver chic from that little black dress to dressed-down tuxes; romantic gowns to bejewelled jeans.

$150 per ticket includes sky ride, wine & food pairings, wine tasting and optional wine edification. Melt your heart and senses in the private chocolate cellar. Entertainment includes the SoTight Band and fireside performances by Jim Byrnes with celebrity wine judges, local TV and film personalities and the North Shore Fire Department’s firefighter ambassadors; Live and silent auction.

Tickets at www.bcadopt.com or 604-320-7330 ext 122. Further information events@bcadoption.com

Directly from the Rodney Strong Press Release:

California’s Rodney Strong Vineyards is known for quality wines and a commitment to environmental sustainability.  Thursday, November 12, 2009 at Season’s in the Park, wine lovers can raise a glass to the winery’s success at a five-course 50th anniversary dinner hosted by winemaker Rick Sayre.

While the dinner will celebrate Rodney Strong Vineyards’ many accomplishments since its inception half a century ago, it will also focus on the winery’s bright future.  Rodney Strong Vineyards is on the leading edge of a movement among wineries to engage in sustainable farming and winemaking practices.  The winery recently became the first carbon neutral winery in Sonoma County.

The wines will be paired with a sumptuous five-course dinner prepared by Seasons in the Park’s Executive Chef Buddy Wolf.  Menu highlights include Mango Tuna Tartare, Pan Roasted Lac du Brome Duck Breast and Grain Fed Bison Tenderloin.

Winemaker Rick Sayre, who has been part of the Rodney Strong team for 30 years, is involved all aspects of winemaking, from vineyard management through final blending. He will host the dinner, introducing guests to some of the Rodney Strong’s most lauded wines:

2008 Charlotte’s Home Sauvignon Blanc
2007 Reserve Chardonnay
2007 Reserve Pinot Noir
2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Rockaway

Partial proceeds from the dinner will go to support the Richmond Therapeutic Equestrian Society, which is dedicated to bringing the therapeutic benefits of horseback riding to people with disabilities.

Seasons in the Park, poised atop Queen Elizabeth Park, offers distinctive regional West Coast cuisine against the stunning backdrop of Vancouver’s skyline, the North Shore Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

Thursday, November 12, 2009
6:30 pm Reception
7:00 pm Dinner
Seasons in the Park
Queen Elizabeth Park – West 33rd Avenue & Main Street, Vancouver
$99 inclusive of taxes and gratuities.
For more information, or to reserve tickets, please call 604-874-8008

Directly from the Globe in your Glass Press Release:

On Wednesday, October 28th, at 7:00 pm at the Pan Pacific Hotel (999 Canada Place), Metro Vancouverites are invited to celebrate the diversity offered by new world vineyards in Canada and beyond at an exclusive tasting. Proceeds benefit Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. Tickets, an affordable $25, are available online at http://www.ccltd.ca/events.html

GK Media Inc is pleased to be presenting an ongoing collection of recipes from various cookbooks.
The recipe that will be featured today is Three Sisters Deep Dish Pie from the Clean Food Cookbook.

To download all of the recipes please use the recipe iPod guide or go to the Recipes page.

To have a chance to win a copy of the Araxi cookbook and the Clean Food cookbook please enter our October 29th, 2009 newsletter draw.

GK Media Inc is pleased to present a new feature article:

Icewine Festival becomes the Winter Wine Festival at Sun Peaks

Directly from the West Coast Christmas Show Press Release:

The 2nd Annual West Coast Christmas Show and Marketplace will once again launch the start of the holiday season at Tradex in Abbotsford on November 27-29, 2009.

Well over a hundred companies will be offering a wide array of gift style goods such as toys, candles, skin care products, cashmere scarves, jewelry and more. Handbags and clutches straight off runways from New York Fashion Week, designer accessories and games are only a sampling of the huge variety of hard to find products that visitors will discover at this year’s show.

In addition to gifts, visitors will find unique products for all home décor, cooking, and entertaining needs including: beautiful floral arrangements and gift baskets, high end cookware, Christmas ornaments, and delicious teas, hot chocolate and fudge.

Visitors are in for a real treat as Splenda presents Anna Olson, the Host of Food Network’s “Sugar” and “Fresh” on the Home for the Holidays Stage. Anna will be creating mouthwatering dishes during her cooking demonstrations and will be offering simple tips for holiday cooking and entertaining.

The Home for the Holiday’s Stage will also feature acclaimed Designer Karl Lohnes, who will entertain the audience with countless tips on home design, home entertaining, and holiday decorating. Karl is the one and only home expert for CTV’s Canada AM and has appeared in Style at Home magazine.

The Festival of Trees returns as charitable organizations and merchants from the Fraser Valley create extraordinary Christmas tree displays which will provide visitors a welcome grand entrance to the show.

BC Hydro’s Power the Games Tour will be making a stop at this year’s show, featuring BC Hydro’s 29 ft Conservation Lab that you will definitely want to check out. This interactive audiovisual experience showcasing energy conservation in BC and the 2010 Winter Games will provide you with lots of energy-saving ideas for your home just in time for the holiday season. Visitors can take pictures with Santa, and BC Hydro’s LED Lamp and TV Mascots, see how much energy they’ll use to race in BC Hydro’s Olympic themed bobsleds.

New to the West Coast Christmas Show this year is the Dairy Farmer’s of Canada Seminar Stage. During these seminars visitors will learn how to pair wine with cheese for their next holiday gathering, while being able to sample a variety of delicious cheeses. Seminars run throughout the weekend.

The show also features the Holiday Spirits Tasting Pavilion where wineries and liquor vendors will be sampling libations for the holiday season.

From food and décor, to gifts and toys, everything to create an amazing holiday gathering of family and friends can be found at the West Coast Christmas Show and Marketplace.

West Coast Christmas Show + Marketplace

Friday November 27      12 Noon - 8 pm

Saturday November 28  10am - 8pm

Sunday November 29    10am - 5pm

Tradex Exhibition Centre

1190 Cornell Street

Abbotsford, BC

Directly from the VSO Press Release:

VANCOUVER, BC – The VSO announces A Hallowe’en spectacular! The great 1922 Silent Film Nosferatu will be presented with the music performed live by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on Halloween Night, Saturday October 31st, 8pm, at the Orpheum Theatre. Guest conductor Gillian Anderson leads the orchestra. For one fun night, the Orpheum is transformed back into the movie house that it used to be for the camp and terror that awaits audiences who will thrill to this great silent film with the chilling and dramatic score performed live by the full Vancouver Symphony Orchestra!

Although, commonly referred as just Nosferatu the complete title is fittingly named Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (In German: Nosferatu: eine Symphonie des Grauens). This German Expressionist horror film was directed by F.W. Murnau and starred the brilliantly frightening Max Schreck as Count Orlock.  No charming aristocrat like later Draculas, this vampire is scary and macabre, a living corpse who feeds mercilessly on his victims. The wonderful Hans Erdmann score has thrilled audiences for generations, with its moody orchestral colours and drama lending a tangible weight and anticipation to the film itself. Hailed as one of the greatest movie adaptations of the vampire legend, you’ll never have more fun being scared!

Concertgoers are encouraged to come in costume. Give us your best zombie, vampire, werewolf – or whatever you dream up – and win Cash and Ticket Prizes!

CONCERT INFO

Specials:

Saturday, October 31, 8pm, Orpheum Theatre

Nosferatu! A Special Hallowe’en Presentation

Gillian Anderson, conductor

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Tickets: $25 - $30 (senior, student and subscriber discounts available)

Tickets available online at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by calling VSO customer service at 604.876.3434

VSO CONCERT INFO

PricewaterhouseCoopers Masterworks Silver

Saturday and Monday, October 24 and 26, 8pm, Orpheum Theatre

Rachel Barton Pine with the VSO

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor

Rachel Barton Pine, violin

Respighi              Trittico Botticelliano

Saint-Saens        Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61

Mussorgsky        Pictures at an Exhibition

Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition evokes images in music (as does Respighi’s Three Botticelli Pictures) with the grand orchestration of Ravel. In her starburst of a career so far, Rachel Barton Pine has left critics scratching their heads in search of superlatives – it is no wonder she is being called the most important American violinist of her generation.

Visit Giancarlo Guerrero at: www.giancarloguerrero.com

Visit Rachel Barton Pine at: www.rachelbartonpine.com

Series Sponsor: PricewaterhouseCoopers

Video Screen Sponsor: TELUS

Special Video Screen Presentations Created and Produced by: Columbia Academy

Tickets: $25 - $78.50 (senior, student and subscriber discounts available)