Vancouver's best-kept restaurant secrets

Directly from the Hawksworth Restaurant Press Release:

Hawksworth Bar & Lounge receives Seal of the Sazerac. First location outside of the US, awarded during Tales of the Cocktail 2012

Vancouver, BC (July 26, 2012): Hawksworth Bar & Lounge is thrilled to announce receipt of the Seal of the Sazerac, during Tales of the Cocktail’s opener gathering yesterday. Presented by New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society (NOCCPS), this marks the first occasion an establishment outside of the United States has been presented with this prestigious accolade.

Both Bar & Lounge Manager Brad Stanton and Head Bartender Cooper Tardivel were in New Orleans to receive the award, presented during Toast to Tales - the Tales of the Cocktail 2012 launch event held at the Hotel Monteleone. Other 2012 Sazerac recipients were Bellocq, The Columns Hotel, Iris and Superior Seafood, all voted for by NOCCPS’s expert team of “Sazerac Secret Sippers”; establishments “which consistently make the most expertly crafted Sazeracs the world has to offer,” according to the official announcement.

“The Sazerac lives as deep in any bartender’s soul as any cocktail could,” shares Cooper Tardivel. “At Hawksworth, we prepare and execute the Sazerac through one of the true senses of what it means to be a “bartender”; that is, to respect each ingredient and allow them to shine in the spotlight and speak to the drinker. We welcome our guests to settle into a seat at Hawksworth Bar, and allow us to stir them into the romantic depth of this historical cocktail.”

“This award is exceptionally exciting, not just for our Hawksworth team but for the entire bartending community in Vancouver,” adds Brad Stanton. “As a city, we are honoured to host Tales of the Cocktail Vancouver every spring and our residents and bartenders truly embrace the events and the people involved.

“Hawksworth may be a long way from the steps of the Hotel Monteleone, but there is a little New Orleans history stirred into every Sazerac that is made there. I congratulate our entire bar team for putting passion and care into every cocktail they make,” concludes Stanton.

For more information or to make a reservation, visit www.hawksworthrestaurant.com.

Directly from the Thai House Press Release:

THAI HOUSE RESTAURANT GROUP CELEBRATES NEW “BYOW” LIQUOR LAW WITH $12 CORKAGE FEE

(Vancouver, BC) July 26, 2012 – In response to the BC government’s recent approval of restaurant corkage fees, Desmond Chen, president of Thai House Restaurant Group is pleased to offer a $12 corkage cost to wine-toting guests joining any of his six restaurants: all four Thai House locations, Urban Thai Bistro and Pink Elephant Thai.

“As a wine lover and frequent diner, it’s exciting to see the BC hospitality industry move in this direction,” said Desmond. “As a restaurateur, it’s nice to offer another service that caters to our guests and further enhances their experience.”

Chen is pleased to be one of the first Asian restaurants to establish a stance on BC’s new bring-your-own-wine legislation. As such, the entire Thai House Restaurant Group brigade is looking forward to inviting diners into their chic rooms and onto their sun-soaked patios to raise a glass (of possibly their own wine) to an exciting step in a new direction for BC restaurants.

About Thai House Ventures Inc.

Thai House Restaurants will celebrate its 26th anniversary this fall. Since opening its first restaurant on Robson Street in 1986, the family run business has grown to encompass six successful restaurants: four award winning Thai House locations, Urban Thai Bistro in Yaletown, and Pink Elephant Thai which opened on Alberni Street in 2011.  The successful line of Thai House Curry Sauces is available at grocery stores across Canada. For more information and specific social media links visit www.thaihouse.com.