Vancouver's best-kept restaurant secrets

Directly from the Dundarave Fish Market Newsletter:

The beginning of this season has also brought some new and exciting changes to DUNDARAVE FISH MARKET.  Many of you have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Kim Jones over the last year. She has decided to pursue her career as a Veterinary Technician and has therefore relinquished her position as General Manager however staying on with us as a server/manager on a part time basis.  A big thank you Kim - we all wish you much success in your future endeavor!

I’d like to introduce our new General Manager, Molly Kiefer – welcome!

Make this Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21 a particularly special one.  Showcasing only the finest and freshest of seafood, our expert chefs will prepare your desired delicacy in the sauce or seasoning of your choice.  Treat your dad or that special person in your life to lunch or dinner at our exquisite restaurant.  As an added bonus, every dad will receive a free gift…a bottle of our very own SIMPLY WEST COAST SAUCE!  To book your reservation, let Molly know at molly@dundaravefishmarket.com.  Or visit us at www.dundaravefishmarket.com to book either a table or our semi private room upstairs.  Just click the “Reserve” tab.

Directly from the Tinhorn Creek Press Release:

Tinhorn Creek Toasts Canada with Red and White

Oliver, BC… This Canada Day, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards celebrates red and white, wine that is. Join Tinhorn Creek on July 1st for an afternoon of family fun as they toast Canada and release their 2007 Pinot Noir and 2008 Chardonnay.  The day kicks off at 11:00am with a guided hike to Stamp Mill on the “Golden Mile” trail (optional), followed by games and a wild salmon BBQ, complete with patriotic red and white wine at 12:30pm. Tickets are $35 or $30 for Crush Club members (children 12 and under are free) and can be purchased through the winery (1.888.484.6467). Advance ticket purchase is required.

If you aren’t in the South Okanagan on July 1st, pick up a bottle or two of the new releases and host your own celebration.  There is something special about Chardonnay grown in the South Okanagan: its buttery richness is beautifully counterbalanced by crisp, juicy green apple acidity.  Tinhorn Creek’s 2008 is a super-refreshing take on Chardonnay, combining classic Okanagan aromas of flowers and herbs, peaches, apples, and citrus fruits. The complex flavours include vanilla and nutty, leesy, mineral notes.  Enjoy it this Canada Day with Dungeness crab, grilled halibut, rotisserie chicken, or shellfish. The 2007 Tinhorn Creek Pinot Noir is all about bright, fresh, juicy fruit. It boasts aromas of raspberries, strawberries, cherries and plums, with a delicate savoury herbal note that is the signature of the South Okanagan.  Supple and well balanced, this is the ultimate summer red – easygoing, adaptable, and perfect for picnics. Give it a few minutes in an ice bucket and bring on the turkey burgers, grilled sausages, or BBQ chicken.

On the hillside overlooking vineyard, sagebrush, and the old gold mining creek that gave the winery its name, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards is located just south of Oliver B.C., in the famed Golden Mile wine growing district. As the number one winery destination, evoking classic south Okanagan terroir, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards offers an unrivalled visitor experience and wines that rank among the best in the world. For more information about Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, call 1.888.484.6467

Directly from the Tourism Whistler Press Release:

Whistler has starring role in ABC’s hit romance reality series The Bachelorette - Episode featuring Whistler to air June 15, 2009

Whistler, B.C. - Whistler may soon be able to add the title of “best resort in a reality series” to its list of accolades when the Resort takes centre stage on the small screen in next week’s episode of ABC’s hit reality series The Bachelorette, from Warner Horizon Television.

This season’s leading lady is Vancouverite Jillian Harris, 29, who was named The Bachelorette after being a contestant on the most recent season of The Bachelor. In that role, Jillian became a fan favourite, finishing the season as one of the three final women in the competition.

Tourism Whistler, working in partnership with Tourism Vancouver, Tourism British Columbia and the Canadian Tourism Commission, secured the project earlier this year which saw the television crew and cast in-resort for several days of filming in April. As the official accommodation partner, all accommodation support was provided by The Fairmont Chateau Whistler.

Support was also generously provided by the following activity operators: the Callaghan Country Wilderness Adventures, Bearfoot Bistro, Outdoor Adventures at Whistler, Whistler Air, Whistler Blackcomb and Ziptrek Ecotours.

“Without the ongoing Member support of our media services program, we would not be able to secure these types of visits which result in a tremendous amount of media exposure for the Resort,” said Casey Vanden Heuvel, Tourism Whistler’s Director of Communications. “Tourism Whistler is extremely grateful for the ongoing commitment and support of our many Members and partners,” he said.

This season of The Bachelorette premiered on May 18, 2009. Episode 4 brought Jillian and 13 suitors to Vancouver for group and individual hometown dates. The hometown fun continues in Whistler with Jillian and the 10 remaining suitors; one group date and two individual dates will be featured in the two-hour Whistler episode.

On the group date, Jillian and the men competing for her affection were treated to an adventurous snowmobile tour guided by Outdoor Adventures at Whistler to the remote Callaghan Lodge. The group experienced the true remote B.C. wilderness in the Callaghan Valley surrounded by rugged alpine terrain and pristine natural beauty. The Callaghan Valley, located south of Whistler Village, is home to the Whistler Olympic/ Paralympic Park - site of the cross-country, biathlon, Nordic combined and ski jumping events for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

On individual dates, Jillian and one lucky suitor enjoyed a bird’s eye view flying through the air above snow-covered valleys at incredible speeds on a Ziptrek tour, followed by a romantic dining experience at the Bearfoot Bistro in the renowned private wine cellar. Another date involved a breathtakingly scenic flightseeing tour over Whistler, provincial parks and glacier icefields, eventually landing the ski plane on the Champagne Glacier near the giant Pemberton icecap.

The one-on-one dates included the exquisite elegance of The Fairmont Chateau Whistler with champagne beside the hot tub and Fairmont’s poutine served by the firepit on the Mallard Terrace and the rose ceremony taking place in the intimate setting of the Wine Room.

The Whistler visit wrapped up with Jillian enjoying Whistler’s high alpine via Whistler Blackcomb’s new PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola. The iconic PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, launched in December 2008, travels across the valley between the two mountains, transporting winter skiers and snowboarders and summer hikers and sightseers between Whistler Mountain’s Roundhouse Lodge to the Rendezvous Lodge on Blackcomb Mountain. While the two mountains have been connected at their bases for years and it was possible to ski both in a day, the gondola makes it easy by travelling the 4.4 kilometres (2.73 miles) between the two mountains in just 11 minutes. It’s an engineering feat and a world record-breaker: the unsupported cable span between the two middle towers is the world’s longest at 3.024 kilometres (1.88 miles). This summer, the PEAK 2 PEAK opens for sightseeing on June 6, delivering Whistler’s summer alpine experience like never before. With the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, hikers now have access to more than 50 kilometres of hiking trails including six new trails on Blackcomb Mountain.

To celebrate Whistler’s featured role in The Bachelorette, members of the community are encouraged to visit the Mallard Lounge at The Fairmont Chateau Whistler to watch the episode as it airs on Monday, June 15 at 8 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Check your local listings for the station and time in your region.

Whistler continues to grow its reputation as a popular destination for television producers. Recent programs filmed here include NBC’s The Today Show (2009), Gene Simmons Family Jewels (2008) and The Bachelor (2004). In addition, several major international, national and regional broadcast news outlets were in-resort in February, 2009 to feature the one-year countdown to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, of which Whistler is the Host Mountain Resort.

Visitors inspired by The Bachelorette and wishing to create their own romantic Whistler holiday experience need look no further than www.whistler.com/romance to build their own unique vacation package, experiencing the many attractions that Whistler has to offer.