Vancouver's best-kept restaurant secrets

Directly from the Lumiere and DB Bistro Moderne Press Release:

Mr. Chris González Appointed General Manager of Relais & Chateaux properties Lumière and db Bistro Moderne

Vancouver, BC – Proprietors David and Manjy Sidoo and Daniel Boulud are thrilled to announce that Mr. Chris González has joined their award-winning front of house team as General Manager.  “Chris is an exceptional young man with a sterling reputation in Vancouver’s thriving culinary scene.  We are absolutely elated to have him at the helm as we welcome the world in 2010.”

A consummate professional, Chris joins Lumière and db Bistro Moderne after a two-year tenure as Restaurant Manager at Robson Street’s CinCin Ristorante + Bar.  A graduate of Vancouver’s venerable Top Table restaurant group, Chris brings passion, culinary savvy and gracious hospitality to Lumière and db bistro.

Chris has long been an active participant in British Columbia’s hospitality arena, serving as General Manager of Yaletown’s Villa del Lupo Restaurant and as a representative of Canadian Winery of the Year Summerhill Estate Winery in Kelowna.  An avid traveler and culinary enthusiast, Chris looks forward to inspiring staff, elevating expectations and delivering memorable Five Diamond Service to compliment the superlative cuisine of Chefs Boulud, MacKay and Istel.

Chris is also an accomplished food and wine writer whose words have graced the pages of Vancouver Magazine, Georgia Straight, Vancouver City Guide and the Eating & Drinking Guide.  He has also served previously as a judge for Vancouver Magazine’s esteemed Restaurant Awards.  His keen eye, discerning palate and boundless enthusiasm make him a welcome addition to the Lumière and db Bistro Moderne family.

Directly from the Inniskillins Wine Press Release:

Inniskillin’s Icy Greeting Welcomes the World

Presenting ICE GATE and Icewine Gallery in the Richmond O Zone

Inniskillin Wines announces it is presenting ICE GATE in the Richmond O Zone, an official celebration site for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. In addition to being the sponsor of ICE GATE, a monumental art installation, Inniskillin will erect a 60 foot tasting bar, the Icewine Gallery, where wine lovers can sample Icewine. Open from February 12-28, 2010, the Icewine Gallery hours of operation are 3:00pm – 11:00pm Monday to Friday, and 12:00pm – 11:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. Costs are $5 for half oz sample, or $10 for three half oz tastes.

Directly from the Fairmont Empress and Mission Hill Press Release:

MISSION EMP-POSSIBLE - BATTLE OF THE CHEFS

One fantastic winemaker & two talented chefs create an unforgettable gourmand evening

Victoria, British Columbia:  The Fairmont Empress in partnership with Mission Hill Family Estate are pleased to present the inaugural Mission Emp-Possible - Battle of the Chefs, hosted by world-renowned Iron Chef America and The Thirsty Traveler personality, Kevin Brauch, on Wednesday, February 24, 2010.

Join us as we embark on an epicurean journey with Executive Chef, Takashi Ito of The Fairmont Empress, who will challenge Mission Hill Executive Winery Chef, Matthew Batey, in a “battle-of-the-chefs” competition. Each Chef will prepare a decadent five-course tasting menu paired with five exquisite wines personally selected and presented by Mission Hill’s chief winemaker, John Simes.

“The lively engagement of Brauch with the expertise of winemaker Simes and culinary talents of Ito and Batey will be a potent combination,” says Martin Leclerc, General Manager, The Fairmont Empress. “Having attended culinary school on the Island and apprenticed at the Empress in the nineties, I’m thrilled to return to my hometown and work with Chef Ito in what will undoubtedly be an entertaining epicurean showdown,” says Chef Matthew Batey.

Critiqued by a panel of celebrity judges from the Pacific Northwest, each Chef will battle to present their courses with gastronomic flair including flavour, appearance and complementary wine pairing. Ultimately, the winning Chef will celebrate the glory of being crowned the winner of Mission Emp-Possible - Battle of the Chefs.

Tickets for this event are C$150 per person exclusive of taxes and gratuities, and only 130 spaces are available. Reservations are available by calling 250.389.2727. Book now for the culinary event of the year which is expected to sell out quickly.

Directly from the Wild Rice Press Release:

HOLD THAT TIGER WITH ‘GRRRREAT’ CHINESE NEW YEAR’S MENU

(Vancouver, BC) – Vancouverites are lucky people. If we want, we can start each year twice. Don’t like the first six weeks of 2010? Forget them - start all over again with the beginning of the Chinese New Year (4708) on February 13th! This year marks the Year of the Tiger. In Asian cultures tigers are revered as regal, courageous, loyal, self-assured, independent and passionate. In the west, the tiger is a familiar pop culture icon used to sell everything from gasoline to breakfast cereal (the Esso tiger, Kellogg’s Tony). Literature and the silver screen features many famous tigers(Shere Khan, the Bengal Tiger in Life of Pi) and of course there’s Hobbes in Calvin & Hobbes.

At Wild Rice, Andrew Wong and Chef Todd Bright ‘grabbed the tiger by the tail’ to bring patrons a modern take on the concept of a traditional Chinese New Year’s banquet. For Chinese New Year (February 13 – 28), Wild Rice will be offering a special four-course Year of the Tiger Menu for a value-priced $40 along with an optional matched flight of wines for an additional $20 per person.

The dinner starts with a deconstructed version of a popular dim sum dumpling – Sui Mai. Wild Rice’s Tiger Stripe Sui Mai features ‘stripes’ of crab and northern BC shrimp. The crab is considered a ‘yang element’ and good luck because it turns red when cooked. The delicate pink of the shrimp coupled with its sweetness is an additional wish for a ‘sweet year of good fortune.’ Up next is Wild Rice’s Tiger Roll featuring stripes of cloud ear mushrooms (black), red curry and tofu (orange) seductively displayed through a translucent rice wrap. The mushrooms are a homonym for ‘wishes fulfilled,’ tofu is one of the ingredients symbolic of ‘wealth.’

Tiger Beer-marinated Bison Flat Iron Steak forms the core of the menu. The accompanying Spicy Scallop Dumpling carries several meanings – its spiciness represents the fierceness of a tiger’s bite while the coin shape of the scallops conveys a wish for prosperity. The bicolour Ying Yang Gratin reminds us that balance is required for a happy life while the Chinese pickles add a slightly sour touch that heightens the flavours of the other components.

All Chinese banquets end on a sweet note to wish participants sweetness in the coming year. In this instance, Andrew Wong and Chef Bright chose to present a version of a sweet dumpling that is traditionally served in ginger soup at the end of a banquet. In this instance, the Lucky Nian Gao is a steamed sticky rice cake filled with a mixture of sweet red bean paste and almonds. The coin shape denotes ‘wealth’; the rice a symbol of ‘abundance.’ The filling also conveys good wishes. Red beans are particularly lucky in Chinese culture signifying both ‘good luck’ (red colour) and ‘abundance.’ The almonds are a symbol of ‘fertility’ – wishing that you be surrounded by many children and a large family. The cake is drizzled with anise syrup to reinforce its sweet wish and is accompanied by lucky lycee of white chocolate coins which completes the wish for a sweet year filled with good luck, prosperity and good health.

“At traditional New Year’s banquets, you are likely to see hard spirits served,” says Wild Rice owner Andrew Wong. “However, with Chinese New Year coinciding with the Olympics bringing a large influx of out-of-town visitors this year, I felt it was very important to highlight some of BC’s amazing wines by suggesting an optional wine pairing. Each has been carefully selected to complement the flavour profile of the course.” For those preferring a more traditional approach Wild Rice does offer several appropriately named cocktails including Double Happiness, Pink Pearl and Gin Sing along with a variety of cognacs and Scotches.

Now you can ‘put a tiger in your tank’ and enjoy a roaring good time from February 13 to 28 at Wild Rice. Tigger would approve.