EAT Magazine Jan | Feb 2013

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RESTAURANTS | RECIPES | WINES | CULINARY TRAVEL ®

& DRINK

JANUARY | FEBRUARY

l 2013 | Issue 17-01 | FREE | EATmagazine.ca

Celebrating The Food & Drink of British Columbia

✳charcuterie ✳fish sauce ✳parsnips ✳eating out ✳bread

32 NEW winestodrink in the NEW YEar

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EAT MAGAZINE JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013

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A MEETING OF THE MOUTHS

Main Plates

Tapas Concierge Desk . . . . . . . 05

RECIPES Best Brunch . . . . . . . . . . .....22

Top Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . .07

FEATURES Tofino Eats . . . . . . . . . . . . ....16 First Look: Fry’s Bakery ....37

Get Fresh . . . . . . . . . . . .09

Epicure At Large . . . . . . .08

Home Comforts

Good For You . . . . . . . . .10 Food Matters . . . . . . . . . .11 Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Eating Well For Less . . . .18

Rebecca Baugniet

Fans of Autumn Maxwell’s Cold Comfort ice creams will be happy to know she now has her own retail location.

Pg 13

Liquid Assets . . . . . . . . . .26 VINcabulary . . . . . . . . . .28 Cookbooks . . . . . . . . . . .29 Wine + Terroir . . . . . . . .30 Wine & Food Pairing . . .32 News from around BC . .34 What the Pros Know . . . .38

Cover photography: “Eat, Quaff, Play” by Michael Tourigny

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Editor in Chief Gary Hynes Contributing Editor Carolyn Bateman Vancouver Contributing Editor Julie Pegg DRINK Editor Treve Ring Senior Wine Writer Larry Arnold Okanagan Contributing Editor Claire Sear Food Reporters Tofino | Uclulet: Jen Dart, Vancouver: Anya Levykh, Okanagan: Claire Sear, Victoria: Rebecca Baugniet | Cowichan: Lindsay Muir | Nanaimo: Kirsten Tyler Web Reporters Colin Hynes, Van Doren Chan, Elisabeth Nyland Contributors Larry Arnold, Joseph Blake, Michelle Bouffard, Jennifer Danter, Jen Dart, Jasmon Dosanj, Pam Durkin, Gillie Easdon, Jeremy Ferguson, Nathan Fong, Tracey Kusiewicz, Anya Levykh, Ceara Lornie, Denise Marchessault, Elizabeth Smyth Monk, Michaela Morris, Elizabeth Nyland, Julie Pegg, Treve Ring, Claire Sear, Michael Tourigny, Scott Trudeau, Sylvia Weinstock, Rebecca Wellman, Caroline West.

Publisher Pacific Island Gourmet | EAT ® is a registered trademark.

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Advertising: 250.384.9042, editor@eatmagazine.ca Mailing address: Box 5225, Victoria, BC, V8R 6N4, Tel: 250.384.9042 Email: editor@eatmagazine.ca Website: eatmagazine.ca Since 1998 | EAT Magazine is published six times each year. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Although every effort is taken to ensure accuracy, Pacific Island Gourmet Publishing cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions that may occur. All opinions expressed in the articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the publisher. Pacific Island Gourmet reserves

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editor’s note

Vanquish the Winter Blues

WHILE IT’S HARD to beat the excitement and indulgences of the holiday season, once the last of the free-range turkey has been eaten and the pile of empty wine bottles taken to the recycling depot, January comes with a certain sense of relief.

Curl up in a thick sweater in front of the fire for a quiet evening of reading, sipping a steaming cup of hot chocolate. I make mine the way I had it in France. In a small pot melt the finest chocolate you can lay your hands on. Put it into a serving pitcher. In another pot, heat some cream or milk and also put it into a pitcher. Pour the melted chocolate and hot cream together into your cup, stir, and sip for the ultimate winter treat, replenishing from the pitchers as needed. Or go for a walk in the brisk cold and come back home to the aromas of a long simmering stew brimming with earthy root vegetables. For me, winter means warming, easy-to-prepare dinners that are laid-back and low-key. Add in a big red wine and I’m in heaven (on page 28, Vincabulary recommends six Syrahs).

Although your wallet might have taken a beating during the holidays, that doesn’t

mean you have to stop dining out. Many restaurants offer winter specials at affordable prices—especially midweek—or try going to a good restaurant for lunch instead of dinner and save a bit that way. Starting on page 12, Reporter and Eating Well For Less offers up new and favourite restaurants to try.

For a mid-winter splurge, take your honey out for Valentine’s Day. Book early for the best seats. One of my Valentine’s Day traditions is to open a bottle of sweet dessert wine—a Vancouver Island blackberry port-style wine would be a perfect choice—and toast the gods of amour. Check out eatmagazine.ca on Feb. 1 for our top picks for Valentine celebrations.

Winter also means having a lie-in with a lingering brunch and the Sunday paper— maybe sneak in a cocktail or two—who’s watching anyway? In Eat, Play, Quaff on page 22, we offer an antidote to the winter blues with a scrumptious brunch of cheesy toasts, a wintry salad of roasted squash and hearty greens and a cocktail that blends apple cider with whiskey and warming spices. Go on, stay in bed a little longer – this is down time at its finest.

Have a great winter and I’ll see you again when the leaf buds are bursting and the blossoms are out.

—Gary Hynes, Editor

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EAT MAGAZINE JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013

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Culinary intelligence for the 2 months ahead

the concierge desk

by Rebecca Baugniet

For more events visit www.eatmagazine.ca

JANUARY

WINTER MARKET (Victoria, BC) The Victoria Downtown Public Market Society continues to raise awareness, support and funds for the return of a permanent downtown public marketplace. Visit the Inner Courtyard of Market Square on Jan. 5th and 19th, and Feb. 2nd and 16th to enjoy local food and music and support a great cause. (victoriapublicmarket.com) WINTER MARKET (Vancouver) Held every Saturday, from 10am -2pm, at the Nat Bailey Stadium. Once again, you can also bring your food scraps from home to recycle at the Food Scraps Drop Spot, sponsored by Recycling Alternative and Vancouver Farmers Markets. A donation of $2 per drop is appreciated. (www.eatlocal.org) 11th DINE OUT VANCOUVER FESTIVAL (Vancouver) Celebrate the eleventh anniversary of Canada’s largest restaurant festival. From Jan 18- Feb 3, eat your way through 17 days of culinary events. Hundreds of restaurants will be offering three-course prix-fixe dinners paired with BC VQA wines or Kronenbourg beer. Restaurants and menus will be announced January 7. (www.dineoutvancouver.com) CHOCOLATE MASTER SERIES AT COOK CULTURE (Victoria) Six hours of lectures, tastings, slides and interactive discussion split over two consecutive Wednesday nig hts with David Mincey. Learn about all aspects of the cultivation and processing of cacao into chocolate as well as take an in-depth look at the ecological impact of cacao farming on a global scale. Trace the path of chocolate through three thousand years of Western civilization and examine its impact on every facet of our modern lives. Most importantly, taste over thirty of the world's finest chocolates and learn to differentiate between country of origin, species of cacao tree and method of processing. Jan. 12 and 19. (www.cookculture.com) WINTER OKANAGAN WINE FESTIVAL (Okanagan) Set in the magnificent alpine setting of Sun Peaks Resort, the annual Winter Okanagan Wine Festival is one of a kind. While the vines are snoozing through the winter, the Okanagan winemakers are hard at work. Well, okay – they get a break from time to time. And they want you to visit them. Jan 12- 20. (www.thewinefestivals.com) TASTE BC 2013 (Vancouver) Taste BC is an experience of BC’s finest wine, beer and spirits accompanied by tasty fare from some of Vancouver’s best local restaurants. With excellent food and drinks, attractions include live music, door prizes, and a silent auction that rivals any other. All Taste BC’s proceeds benefit one of the province’s most vital medical institutions, the BC Children’s Hospital. Jan. 15th, 4.30-7.30 pm. Tickets $49.99. (www.tastebc.wordpress.com) BC BITES & BEVERAGES SERIES (Victoria) Rich in Food: Revitalizing traditional food on the Northwest Coast. Join cookbook authors Dolly McRae and Annie Watts, together with ethnobotanist Dr Nancy Turner, asthey tell the story of the native food movement of the Northwest coast. Enjoy Indigenous tapas and tips on how to prepare and preserve the natural harvest. January 17, 7 – 9 pm, Member $35 +hst, Non-member $40 +hst (royalbcmuseum.bc.ca) 8th ANNUAL VICTORIA WHISKY FESTIVAL (Victoria) Once again, the Hotel Grand Pacific is hosting the popular four-day Whisky celebration. Events include Jim Murray’s guided tasting of 2013 Whisky Bible winners, the Grand Canadian Club Dinner, masterclasses and tastings. Jan. 18-20. (www.victoriawhiskyfestival.com) SPICES OF NORTH AFRICA AT LONDON CHEF (Victoria) The food of North Africa - from Morocco in the western tip to, the Red Sea in the east - is diverse and varied, by its nature often very healthy, always vibrant, and inevitably fit for gathering and feasting. CONT’D ON THE NEXT PAGE

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This class will include looking at, cooking and eating four dishes from this fascinating region, discussing tradition, outside influences and the typical ingredients. Jan. 23 (www.thelondonchef.com) INTRODUCTION TO HONEY - AN OPIMIAN WINE PAIRING EVENT (Victoria) Since 2011, The Westin Bear Mountain has had an active beehive at the resort and has utilized the honey from the bees to produce some fantastic meals. The Opimian, Canada's wine club, is encouraging members and non-members to meet and learn from the Chef/Beekeeper as well as experience Bear Mountain's Wine Cellar Honey menu. Mead wine, produced from a honey farm in Sooke, will also be on the menu.

Opimian wines will be paired with the special menu. The event is slated for Saturday, January 26. Tickets are available by emailing victoria@ar.opim.ca or calling Steve or Carole Hutchinson at 250-472-1415.

FEBRUARY

BIGLEAF MAPLE SYRUP FESTIVAL (Duncan) Participate in mini-workshops facilitated by experienced maple syrup producers, including tapping demonstrations, presentations, and displays. This year features cooking with local maple syrup and maple foods will be available. Features a maple syrup competition with judging by celebrity chefs from Vancouver Island. The evaporator will be running all day so visitors can savour the warm maple aroma of sap and see how syrup is made. Feb 2, 10am – 4.30pm at the BC Discovery Centre in Duncan. (www.bcforestmuseum.com) LOCAL CHICKEN: EVERYTHING BUT THE CLUCK (Duncan) Meat sourcing and butchery class featuring dishes such as chicken liver pate (raised to an art form with quince jelly), pan-fried chicken dumplings, ballotine of chicken with morel mushrooms and split roast BBQ chicken with garlic and chilies. Includes all materials and products, includes a meal we prepare in class. $100 per person. Feb 1, noon - 5:00 pm. Duncan. (www.deerholme.com) DINE AROUND AND STAY IN TOWN (Victoria) Tourism Victoria and the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association’s 10th Annual Dine Around and Stay in Town will take place from Feb. 21- Mar. 10. Participating restaurants will offer three-course menus for $20, $30, $40 CND per person and are all paired with BC VQA wine suggestions. This year select restaurants will once again offer celiac-friendly menus. (www.tourismvictoria.com/dine) SEEDY SATURDAYS ON VANCOUVER ISLAND (Qualicum Beach and Victoria) These events are the premier networking and educational event for gardeners of all abilities! Feb 2 at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre, from 10am – 3.30pm (Qualicum Beach). Feb 16 at the Victoria Conference Centre, from 10am – 4 pm (Victoria) (www.seeds.ca) 7th ANNUAL TEA FESTIVAL (Victoria) Hosted in the tea capital of Canada, the 7th annual event features tasting of teas that originate from around the world, tea-food selections, complimentary presentations on a variety of tea topics, and opportunities to purchase hundreds of teas, tea-related products, and exquisite tea wares. A Silent Auction will be offered. Proceeds to Camosun College Child Care Services. It’s a one-stop shop for all things tea. Feb. 9, 11am- 5pm at the Crystal Garden. (www.victoriateafestival.com) PARKSVILLE UNCORKED WINE & CULINARY FESTIVAL (Parksville) From wine or beer newbie to seasoned palate, you'll enjoy tastings, featured wine dinners, bubbly brunches, wine-inspired spa treatments and local tours from. Last year's festival events sold out. Feb 21-24. (www.parksvilleuncorked.com) CULINAIRE (Victoria) The third annual Culinaire event will be held at the Crystal Garden on March 21 this year. This event provides locals with the opportunity to savour signature menu items and inspired dishes from an abundant selection of restaurants, lounges, pubs, cafes, specialty purveyors, and sip from a fine selection of local and regional wine, cider, and craft beer. Partial proceeds provide scholarship awards to the Camosun College Culinary Arts Program and a donation is made each year to the BC Hospitality Foundation. (www.culinairevictoria.com)

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top shelf — by Jeff Bateman

Choux Choux Charcuterie Charcuterie lovers cherish Luke Young and Paige Symond’s little European-style delicatessen that could.

Rebecca Wellman

Every other Friday, a delivery van drops off four halves of two “happy pigs” raised like free-range royalty on cabbage and boiled eggs at Qualicum’s Sloping Hill Farm. Luke Young and Paige Symonds immediately get busy with handsaws in their kitchen at Choux Choux Charcuterie. “We’re like Mennonite butchers,” says Young, flashing a first hint of his dry wit, “only we own cellphones and listen to music while we work.”

In short order, the pair transform flattened sides of meat into bacon, ham, sausages, terrines and pȃtés soon to be snapped up by the regulars who frequent their jewel-box of a former antique store on Fort Street.

Like grandfather, like grandson: Ralph Young was a butcher in Gravenhurst, Ontario. “He was a meat-cutter, plain and simple,” says Luke, 36, who also works marvels with chicken, rabbit, beef, turkey and duck. “He’d packed in his knives before I can remember, but I do have a butcher block with a plaque that reads ‘To Muskoka’s finest butcher, Ralph Young.’ That’s pretty cool.”

Young studied at Vancouver’s Dubrulle Culinary School before arriving at Raincity Grill for two pivotal life moments in his mid-twenties. Then-chef Sean Cousins shifted him to a trainee role as house butcher “just as I was losing my mind doing 200 covers a night as a saucier. I spent my days slicing through mountains of salmon, halibut and black cod, then moved on to whole animals—a Raincity specialty way before the ‘nose-to-tail’ phenomena took off.”

He also fell for Symonds, a Victoria native who’d replaced him in the restaurant’s kitchen brigade. The two ran off for the first of several spells in France, footloose and broke but soaking up knowledge at every turn. Symonds apprenticed on a goat farm near Toulouse, where she began developing an expertise reflected in the shop’s selection of imported cheeses. The pair also learned the butcher’s trade in earnest in Vancouver – Young with Dunbar’s Meet the Butcher, Symonds at Oyama Sausage Co. on Granville Island.

Fast-forward to spring 2005. “We had $10,000, no business sense and a lot of faith.

Paige and I tore out everything, painted, did all the renos ourselves and worked the front counter. It was chaos.” Local carnivores were ecstatic, however. And the pace has mellowed as staff were added, a lunch menu established and wholesale accounts opened (led today by Pizzeria Prima Strada and Dockside Green’s Fol Epi).

“It’s been a big learning curve and business has gotten a bit better every year,” says Young, who bikes to work daily from the Finlayson/Cook Street neighbourhood home he shares with Symonds and a beloved elkhound. He’d love to see his end of Fort Street (between Quadra and Blanshard) evolve further into a culinary mecca and would welcome a pȃtisserie or specialty wine store as a neighbour. “So many businesses come and go around here. The sushi and cigarettes joint failed, because of course when you eat sushi you want a cigarette for dessert. But we’re seeing some great independent businesses root in for the long run and we intend to remain one of them.”

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epicure at large — by Jeremy Ferguson

Something Fishy Cynthia Annett

The mouth-filling umami richness of fish sauce conjures a distant dream of the China Seas.

IT’S THE COLOUR OF DARK RUM. It stinks. It’s overbearingly salty and pungent. It has a certain tang of decay. It seems to call up the souls of 10 million dead anchovies. The initial response from Westerners is like a child’s first bite of an olive: “Ewwwwwwwww” But fish sauce, made from the juices of fermented fish, is one of the world’s greatest components of cuisine. Its glutamate content renders it the very soul of umami. And cautiously employed, it gives all takers a million-dollar mouth.

We know it as nam pla in Thai cuisine and nuac mam in Vietnamese, but it plays with slight variations in the kitchens of Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, China, Japan and Korea, where it is a natural for kimchi.

Asian chefs regard it religiously, none more than the Vietnamese. They ladle it into soups, sauces, marinades, salad dressings, dips and stir-fries. Didier Corlou, chef-owner of Hanoi’s Madame Hien and Verticale restaurants, compares it to a drug.

The coastal town of Phan Thiet, where anchovies and salt are layered in barrels and fermented for six months, is practically a pilgrimage centre. The whole town reeks of the stuff. Tourists hold their noses but after a while start to like it.

Its history in Asia is clouded. Towards the end of the 17th century, the fish sauce

known as ke-tsiap travelled out from China, and two centuries later turned up in the U.S. as the icky sugar-and-tomato sauce known as ketchup. Another fish sauce bastard is Worcestershire sauce, which is both fermented and contains anchovies.

Now comes the surprise: In ancient times, fish sauce was a gastronomic superstar in Europe. It could even be more Western than Asian. One historian even speculates that it travelled from Europe to Asia on the trade routes.

More than 2,000 years ago, fish sauce was a thriving industry from Spain to the Black Sea. Called garum, it was made from fish intestines and salt and occupied a lofty position in the Roman Empire kitchen. Not everyone went along: “... that expensive bloody mass of decayed fish consumes the stomach with its salted putrefaction,” ranted Seneca, but he was a philosopher, not a food lover.

The Romans mixed it with wine, vinegar and black pepper to sauce meats and fishes.

They diluted it to a blondish hue and drank it. They considered it medicinal, a cure for dog bites and diarrhea. And they used it cosmetically to frighten off freckles.

As the Roman Empire toppled, oddly, so did the popularity of garum. And poof, it disappeared from Western food.

Fish sauce remains omnipresent in Southeast Asian restaurants: in Victoria, make your way to the Vietnamese Green Leaf or Kim’s, which are both excellent, and the Lao Vientiane. On supermarket shelves, the Fairway Market on Quadra stocks five labels, all Thai. Thrifty’s and other non-Asian markets proffer Thai Kitchen, a fine, slightly less aggressive product bottled in Canada.

Most important, infusing fish sauce in western cuisine is an adventure. The classic dip of fish sauce, lime juice and chilies sings on any continent. From burgers to bouillabaisse, chefs are using it to kick up their flavours. And coming your way any day now: the Umami Burger, with fish sauce its transcendent ingredient.

My wife’s miracle is butterflied chicken or Cornish hen marinated in garlic, onion, ginger, orange peel, sesame oil, sugar and fish sauce. The marinade serves as a brine, rendering the bird stupendously juicy and tender. Then—such wondrous alchemy—the fishiness dissipates and the sauce becomes a catalyst for everything else.

The flavours come at you in the gastronomic equivalent of IMAX and leave the palate blushing with the savoury, mouth-filling richness of umami—and a distant dream of the China Seas.

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get fresh — COOKING BY THE SEASON — by Sylvia Weinstock

Rooting for Parsnips Try sweet and earthy “snips” in soups, sauces, stuffing — even desserts.

BUTTERSCOTCH-SWEET, nutty-tasting parsnips should be as popular as their carrot relatives, but these roots are often overlooked as a delectable ingredient. You might be surprised to learn that parsnips are higher in vitamins and minerals than carrots (with the exception of vitamin C) and are an excellent source of potassium, calcium and folic acid. These versatile vegetables can be braised, sautéed, deep-fried, boiled or roasted, and are a sweet substitute for potatoes or carrots in many recipes. Roasted chicken, pork, duck, bacon, duck confit, venison and turkey are perfect partners.

Peruse these parsnip possibilities and you’ll soon be a snip convert.

Parsnips are at their peak of flavour right now, when the cold weather converts their starches into sugars. I love creating dishes that pair parsnips with sweet, crisp apples from my apple tree, which store well through the winter. The rich tastes of honey-roasted parsnips, apples and sweet potatoes are irresistible. I use the apple-snip combo to make curried parsnip soup, spiced with garam masala, cloves and plenty of garlic. Another favourite is parsnip-yam-apple soup, sparked with coriander and shavings of fresh ginger root.

Pears are another delightful fruit pairing for parsnips. My pear tree was very bountiful this fall, and I preserved batches of chunky pear sauce to use throughout the winter in sweet and savoury dishes. I serve silky pearsnip sauce, made with orange juice, orange zest, maple syrup and cardamom, with potato latkes, pork, chicken or roasted duck. Try making a delectable side dish for pork roast or roasted chicken by braising pears, parsnips and ginger root in white wine and chicken broth. Grated parsnips and firm pears make wonderful latkes (pan-fried pancakes).

I make a delicious stuffing for roasted chicken or turkey with parsnips, apples, chorizo sausages and fresh mint or oregano from my winter garden. A rich bread pudding stuffing made with roasted parsnips, a cubed brioche loaf, grated Parmesan cheese, leeks, dry white wine, heavy cream, eggs and fresh thyme is a superb stuffing for roasted birds that doubles as a side dish.

Parsnips are so sweet they deserve to be served for dessert. Try gorgeous golden snip pie, made with pureed parsnips, honey, orange zest, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and lemon juice, baked in a pastry crust and served with whipped cream.

Soup is a popular choice for parsnip creativity; these starchy roots are a natural thickener and can be pureed into a velvety, creamy potage after being roasted or boiled. Roasted parsnips, pears and onions are delicious pureed with chicken stock broth. Add a hit of balsamic vinegar to balance the sweetness of the caramelized fruit and veggies. If you crave a creamier soup, add heavy cream to a soup made with parsnips, apples, potatoes and chicken broth. Garnish with sautéed leeks for oniony crunchiness.

It’s time to savour snips for their sweet earthy essence.

Roasted Parsnip Soup (Serves 4)

1 pound parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped Olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 1 cup diced onions 1/2 cup diced carrots 1/2 cup diced celery 1/2 cup diced leeks 2 Tbsp. minced shallots 1 Tbsp. minced garlic 2 tsp. white vinegar 1½ litres chicken stock 2 tsp. honey 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme 3 chorizo sausages, cooked and crumbled ½ cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place parsnips in a medium-size mixing bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place parsnips on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast parsnips in the oven for 30 minutes until they are lightly caramelized and tender.

Add a dollop of olive oil to a 4-litre pot set over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and leeks to the pot and sweat, stirring for 6 minutes.

Add shallots and garlic and sweat, stirring, for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with vinegar. Add chicken stock, parsnips, honey and thyme to the pot.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Simmer 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Puree to a smooth, velvety consistency. Add chorizo and cream.

Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve hot.

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Pick up your Valentine’s dinner-to-go, join us for a deelish lunch, stock up on delectables, or just drop in for a fine cuppa joe!

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good for you — by Pam Durkin

Earthly Veggies Root vegetables are the perfect antidote to winter.

LONG THOUGHT OF as comforting dinnertime staples, root vegetables rarely get the recognition they deserve as nutritional all-stars. They are, in fact, nutrient powerhouses that can enhance our health and fuel our bodies, particularly throughout the cold winter months when other vegetables are not readily available or at their peak.

Here’s a closer look at four root vegetables whose nutritional profile far exceeds their humble reputation.

Sweet Potatoes Despite their moniker, sweet potatoes are not related to potatoes. Nor are they yams, which are actually huge root vegetables grown in Africa and hailing from the Dioscorea genus. The colourful tubers beloved to North Americans are members of the morning glory family, and in addition to being sweet, they are remarkably nutritious. In fact, the Center for Science in the Public Interest awarded sweet potatoes its highest ranking of all vegetables based on their wealth of nutrients and diseasefighting potential. What has the scientific community so impressed? Sweet potatoes are teeming with a trio of antioxidants—carotenoids, polyphenols and flavonoids— which have been proven to help prevent macular degeneration, age-related cognitive decline and lung, breast, kidney and colorectal cancer. Besides antioxidants, sweet potatoes also contain impressive amounts of vitamins B6, C, E and folate, as well as potassium, magnesium and fibre. Furthermore, despite their candy-like taste, sweet potatoes are low in calories and have a stabilizing effect on blood sugar levels. They are, undoubtedly, one sweet treat you can indulge in with impunity!

Rutabagas They may not be the most aesthetically appealing vegetable in the produce aisle, but rutabagas are winners when it comes to providing excellent nutrition for little cost. Often mistakenly called “yellow turnips,” rutabagas are brassicas, a genus of plants in the cabbage family. Like other members of the cabbage clan, rutabagas are chock full of isothiocyanates—sulfuric compounds that can lower levels of harmful estrogens and stimulate cancer-preventing enzymes. The piquant root is also a surprisingly good source of vitamin C, with one cup providing 53 percent of the RDA for the vitamin. It’s also abundant in fibre, an essential component of a diet that can help lower cholesterol and improve digestive health. In addition, rutabagas contain a fair amount of manganese, a trace mineral that plays an important role in bone health and wound healing. Try pleasing your palate and improving your health by expanding your “rutabaga repertoire.” Have it grated raw in salads, thinly sliced and roasted in the oven as “chips” or mashed and added to meatloaf for a robust flavour boost.

Parsnips This often overlooked, decidedly underrated veggie deserves more than a second glance. Along with carrots and celery, parsnips are members of the Umbelliferae family. Members of this tribe contain a specific group of phytonutrients called phenolic acids—compounds that fight cancer by inhibiting tumour growth.

The pale root is also a good source of heart-friendly potassium and an excellent source of vitamin C, folate and fibre. In fact, parsnips contain twice as much fibre as their brightly coloured cousins, carrots. Furthermore, they’re one of the very few abundant sources of vitamin K, a nutrient that plays a crucial role in preventing blood clotting and osteoporosis. To ensure the parsnips you purchase are full of their characteristic sweetness, Darin Brise of the Root Cellar suggests selecting only those that are uniformly white, free of ridges and devoid of any “slimy spots.” Overgrown parsnips can unfortunately taste rather bitter.

Beets When you think of superfoods, beets don’t immediately come to mind—but they should. The crimson orbs are a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains that have been proven to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and detoxification properties. And their bright red colour comes from betacyanins, plant pigments that help knock out cancer cells. In addition to powerful phytonutrients, beets contain a plethora of beneficial vitamins and minerals like folate, iron, manganese, magnesium and potassium, as well as the amino acid tryptophan. Though beets have the highest sugar content of any vegetable, they are high in fibre and low in calories—one cup of cooked beets contains a waistline-friendly 53 calories. Their sugar content gives them an earthy sweetness enhanced by roasting—but they’re equally delicious steamed, boiled, pickled, juiced or grated raw into salads.

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food matters — by Julie Pegg

The Cabbage Path

Follow the versatile brassica from rural Alberta to ultra-urban Berlin, savouring its many flavours.

RAW, shredded, braised, brined, fried, steamed—white, green, red, smooth or crinkleleaved—cabbage and I have enjoyed a long relationship. Good thing too. This past fall I was inundated with the stuff. It started mid-September while on a press trip in southern Alberta with Stephanie Kolk’s version of sauerkraut at JoJo’s café at Kayben Farms.

The young chef does not crock-ferment the vegetable in the traditional manner. Rather, she salts, presses and weighs down layers of shredded cabbage and lets it “marinade” for a week or two. The outcome is more of a crunchy, pickled slaw—delicious served warm with a homemade smoked lamb and pork sausage.

A few days later, I am again tucking into a heap of sauerkraut, this time at Mutter Hoppe in Berlin. Like many Alt Berliner “taverns” scattered about the city, Mutter Hoppe dishes up curt service and classic German fare—bratwurst, eisbein (pork knuckle) and bouletten (a savoury large and flattened meatball) with potatoes and sauerkraut, naturlich. Wine-soaked and at once sweet, sour and salty, this is brined cabbage at its best. I polish off a goodly amount as well as what my husband is unable to finish. The menu also features Grunkohlsuppe, a hearty cabbage potage laced with bacon, potato and onion. After a three and half hour chilly trek through the former DDR, this is ribsticking comfort. Cabbage rolls at the nearby Georghaus microbrewery are not the tight, meat-and-rice, tomato-sauced packets I am used to. They are hearty wads of ground pork rolled in a large leafy blanket and pooled in a rich, dark sauce. Washed down with a hopped helles (light) or malty dunkel (dark) lager, they, too, fit the bill on a raw, rainy day.

A week later while ambling through Prague’s side streets, well off the ultra-touristed Charles Bridge, Steve and I stumble upon cozy hideaways coated in patinas of well-worn tapestry and frequented by locals. Here forest mushrooms and braised red cabbage are a spot-on match for game. Soft, plummy Moravian wines, usually from Saint Laurent grapes, flatter the sweet earthy flavours of the dishes.

Was I tiring of following this inadvertent cabbage path? Not at all.

The texture, taste and tang of the cabbage always surprised. The cook who roasted duck in one haunt had clearly braised the cabbage in the bird’s fat. In another, juniperberry-studded cabbage accompanied wild boar and rabbit stew.

Back in a British “caff” (a.k.a. greasy spoon), I tucked into bubble and squeak, a fryup of cabbage, potatoes and onion, so-called for the noise it makes while cooking and excellent with cold roast beef. Then there is Irish colcannon, where potatoes, white cabbage (or kale) and leeks collapse into butter and cream. Absolutely nothing fares better with baked ham.

Like the beet, the carrot and the turnip, the common cabbage defies cold weather, stores well, is packed with nutrients—and is as cheap as borsch. Then there are napa and Savoy cabbages. Not the dense smooth orbs that we know so well, these cabbages are pretty things, with crinkly green leaves that separate easily. They are, for instance, responsible for kimchi, that fiery Korean “pickle” that reeks to high heaven if you don’t keep a lid on it. Savoy cabbage also makes excellent cabbage rolls. I like to roll the leaves around seasoned ground pork or turkey (no rice) and braise in beefy, onion broth.

Coarse-sliced red or green cabbage combine with red onion, radishes, fennel, carrot and celeriac for an ideal winter slaw, tossed about with a few pumpkin seeds for crunch.

It’s tasty with leftover roast, even tastier piled beside a burger.

And chopped steamed cabbage and bratwurst, a couple of slices of pumpernickel, grainy mustard and a bottle of Pilsner is one of my favourite meals in minutes.

The lowly cabbage is not the tender asparagus of early spring, or the ripe, heritage tomato of late summer. However, its humble and easy-going nature is its very charm.

Whether roughed up, salted, sauced or pickled, it demands little of the cook and plays happily by itself or in a pan with just a few ingredients. It costs little and delivers much.

In any case, I’m a fan. Perhaps I did indeed come from a cabbage patch.

BC Bites & Beverages Rich in Food: Revitalizing traditional food on the Northwest Coast Join cookbook authors Dolly McRae and Annie Watts, together with ethnobotanist Dr Nancy Turner, as they tell the story of the native food movement of the Northwest coast.

Enjoy Indigenous tapas and tips on how to prepare and preserve the natural harvest. Get your tickets today.

Thursday, January 17 7 – 9 pm Member $35 +HST Non-member $40 +HST #bcbevs royalbcmuseum.bc.ca www.eatmagazine.ca JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013

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reporter — Victoria Crooked Goose Bistro Crooked Goose Bistro | 4136 Wilkinson Rd., Victoria | 250-590-4556 | crookedgoosebistro.ca The Crooked Goose Bistro opened at Wilkinson and Interurban in early November and was near full each time I visited in its first two weeks. “At least 30 people have been here every single day, for at least a drink,” says partner Gina Basra (Zambri’s), eyes glowing, conveying not an ounce of the fatigue and toil that she, Steve Watson (Brasserie L’Ecole, Zambri’s), chef Chris Bremner (Lumiere, Culinary Capers), Andrew Moffat and Ben Peterson (Heron Rock) have expended completely renovating this longtime bar/pub hub themselves.

Two solid months of sweat, focus and industry-lifer expertise.

The name Crooked Goose Bistro reflects the area: proximity to the Galloping Goose, the incessant echo of the plentiful Canada geese nearby as well as a tip of the hat to the predecessor, the KnockanElizabeth Nyland

back, named after a hill up the road.

On my first visit, I sat at a booth over mimosas with a close friend.

It was cozy and intimate. We chose the Poor Little Piggy burger with a side of chicken confit poutine and the Crooked Goose burger with mushroom soup. The “piggy” burger is a local pork patty with pulled

left: Grilled kalamari chili marinated squid rings, sweet & sour radicchio & CGB Lager battered onion rings. right: "The Crooked Goose" moniker came from their proximity to both the Galloping Goose and the Wilkinson jail.

pork, Hertel’s bacon and smoked cheddar. It was moist, the contrast and play of textures rich, satisfying and deeply tasty, and the housemade bun the best I have ever enjoyed. The chicken confit poutine was tender, salty and satisfying. The mushroom soup, with portabella

love to see “some of the European wine bar influence come to

and button mushrooms with a garlic cream broth, was both light and luscious and I could have just supped on that all evening. The Crooked Goose burger was a blend of pork, grass-fed beef and foie gras. This was a new animal to me—feral, gamey, unusual and quietly extravagant. The menu seems consciously to play with texture while delivering good, solid food done extremely well.

I sat in the sports area for my second visit sampling the calamari and the wings, along with the beef jerky Caesar and a Crooked Juice (sage-infused bourbon, cranberry and soda). I expected deep fried calamari but was greeted with pan-fried calamari with a charred lemon vinaigrette co-mingling with hot, crisp onion rings nestled on a bed of balsamic-stewed radicchio. It was surprising, crispy and tender.

The stewed radicchio provided a fragrant, bitter base that worked beautifully. The plump cornmeal-crusted wings with a thick Roquefort On my most recent outing, I enjoyed the Caesar salad with lardoons and fried capers, and the mushroom soup with a White Bark.

I had a bite of the messy, gorgeous porchetta sandwich: slow-roasted

Gary Hynes

dip were delicious.

Victoria” as well. Parker, with 20 years in the industry, says “it has been, and always will be, a passion and love (for food)” that keeps him in the business.

Parker has brought in John-Paul Turions to be Padella’s head chef.

Turions has an impressive resume in the business as well, having worked at Camilles, The Black Hat, Stage, and Rare (Vancouver), among others. Turions’ menu scoots through Italy, not restricting itself to any specific region. You’ll see influences from southern Italy in the Linguini with spiced pork sausage and sauce arrabiatta (Parker’s wife’s favorite dish), Padella Italian Bistro | 2524 Estevan Ave., Victoria | 250.592.7424 | central Italy gets Pappardelle padellaitalianbistro.com with a chicken liver ragu, and above: Chef John-Paul Turions and Padella owner Geoff Parker. there’s even a North Americaninsert: Spaghetti with clams, chili, garlic and olive oil.

Italian dish, Cioppino, a fish stew Padella Italian Bistro, located in the former Paprika restaurant in Estevan Village, is a lively, casual bistro; that originated in San Francisco. the kind of restaurant you can walk into on the spur of the moment for drinks and a bite.

Parker and Turions have also rid Owner Geoff Parker brings an extensive background in the food and beverage industry to the restaurant. the menu of a traditional, ItalianHe helped to open Vista 18 and, before coming to Victoria, worked in several wine bars in south London, style menu construction—primi, UK and in the French Alps. Working in Europe changed his view on restaurants, after seeing how “people secondi, etc. —and instead have in Europe eat because they want to, not because they have to and always for the love of food”. He would gone with a more open-ended

pork with chimichurri sauce and smoked onion jam as well as a bit of a kid’s cheeseburger and fries. The service, the food, the space were all seamless and lovely.

Crooked Goose Bistro is a wide space of booths, café tables, bar stools and restaurant seating. A raised area houses a single flat-screen TV for sports. The space is welcoming whether you’re up for casual or something nicer, a relaxed special coffee at the window or an anniversary dinner. This is a venture that complements and furthers fantastic food by great people in Victoria. And I hear the chorizo hash is terribly addictive …

BY GILLIE EASDON

Padella Italian Bistro

CONT’D TOP OF THE NEXT PAGE

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approach to allow diners to choose how they dine. Go for small bites or settle in for a multi-course night.

Padella is focused on using local ingredients and making as many menu items from scratch as their small kitchen will allow. Turions and his sous chef arrive at Padella early in the morning to make all the fresh pastas by hand—often making pasta up to three times a day when busy. When they can’t do something in-house, like the charcuterie, they call local makers (all of their charcuterie comes from The Whole Beast on Oak Bay Avenue). They also bake all the breads that they serve. The meats and seafood are locally sourced, with mussels coming from Saltspring, pork and poultry from farms up-island, and trout from Sooke. The kitchen still makes the house sausages that Paprika was known for, but they’ve been given an Italian makeover.

To start, we had the Polpette (house made meatballs) and the crowd-pleasing Arancini (risotto croquettes sporting a satisfying breadcrumb-y exterior). Delicious. For mains, we had the trout and the linguini. The Sooke trout is filleted and deboned, then pan-grilled. It comes with potato hash, green filet beans, chunks of bacon and a light, savoury jus. The new sausage turns up in the linguini —it now has a nice kick of heat, garlic, and spice. You can also try the sausage as a main course with white beans and mostardo. Both dishes were excellent, showing the kitchen’s skill and precision, and were served in reasonable, but satisfying, portions.

For the drinks menu, longtime server Vincent has created new, Italian-style cocktails. For wines, there are five whites and five reds by the glass, as well as a good bottle selection.

Desserts are kept simple. The addition of Fernet—a bitter, herbal Italian spirit— adds complexity to a very good chocolate mousse. The panna cotta, with a layer of strawberry preserve, is a smooth, light delight.

By COLIN HYNES

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809 Craigflower Rd. | 778-432-2070 Drive, walk or bike west across either one of Victoria’s bridges and you enter what people are now referring to as ‘the Baking District’. If you don’t get across the bridges often, you may have missed recent developments, which have earned the community its new nickname. In addition to Fol Epi at Dockside Green and Fry’s on Craigflower Rd, the Lone Tree Bakery has now rooted at the Vic West/ Esquimalt border.

After two years of baking out of her home kitchen, Terry Worland, who graduated from the pastry school at SAIT (Calgary) in 2004, was on the lookout for a commercial kitchen from which to grow her business. At the time, Worland was selling her baked goods wholesale to a few independent grocery stores around Victoria and at the Moss St. Market. In July 2011, kitchen space beneath Ho Ting Chinese Restaurant at Craigflower and Dominion Rds. became available and (to the great relief of her husband) Worland moved all the eggs, butter, flour and baking trays over to her new headquarters. A few weeks later, Autumn Maxwell of Cold Comfort joined Worland in the kitchen; her home-based artisan ice cream business having also outgrown its domestic kitchen.

The baker and the ice cream maker soon discovered how well their products compliment each other, and when the time came earlier this year to renovate the kitchen, the pair decided to incorporate a storefront from which to sell their goods directly to the customer. So it was that the Lone Tree Bakery/Cold Comfort Creamery opened its doors to an excited crowd in early December.

A few steps down from the sidewalk, it feels as though you are entering into a little fairy-tale cave of treats. Open the door and you are faced with a tempting display of Worland’s impeccable delicacies, from individual orange cheesecakes and chocolate caramel tarts to fruit pies, muffins, scones, and granola. Worland uses all organic flour and oats, Vancouver Island eggs and local fruits in season. She describes her baked goods as having the “homemade touch”, and as someone with a sophisticated sweet tooth I can attest that these baked goods are exquisitely executed yet unpretentious.

Across the room you’ll find a cooler filled with an assortment of Cold Comfort’s irresistible concoctions, including dairy-free and gluten-free selections. At last count, Maxwell had created over 170 unique flavour combinations with her ice cream sandwiches, pints and now ice cream pies. As she explains it, this ice cream is “curiously-flavoured, seasonally inspired, and locally hand-crafted”. In other words – nothing you’ll find in the frozen aisle at the supermarket. If you don’t happen to live in Victoria’s new Baking District, it’s certainly worth a visit. Whatever it is that is drawing all these bakers across the water, the locals are grateful.

BY REBECCA BAUGNIET

www.eatmagazine.ca JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013

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España España |1118 Denman St., Vancouver | 604.558.4040 | espanarestaurant.ca

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At first glance, tapas might seem like an overdone and outdated concept for Vancouver. We’ve had our share of share-plate dining, after all. The authentic tastes of Spanish cuisine are another matter entirely, however, and have, for the most part, long been a culinary mystery. Now with the opening of places like The Sardine Can and, most recently, España, there is hope that authentic Spanish flavour might become just another good Friday night dining option.

That authenticity rings strong and true at España. Chef Neil Taylor and manager Ed Perrow (who are also the co-owners), have together created a comfy and soothing little room in the West End where a seat at the long, polished bar means you have a close-up view of some of the stellar Spanish bottles that grace the beverage list. In fact, don’t bother looking for B.C. or California reds on this menu, it’s all about Spain here—and everything is available by the glass.

I started with an excellent cava rosado brut from Cristalino ($9.50), which I paired with rustic duck liver, anchovy and sherry vinegar pȃté on country toast ($4). Delightful salt cod and potato croquettes ($6) were next and were crispy, flaky, light and creamy, all at the same time, with a slightly pulpy orange aioli that didn’t overstate the citrus. Sautéed, then roasted, octopus ($8) was almost fork-tender, but still able to hold up to the housemade chorizo, potatoes and radicchio in the dish. It’s hearty, beautiful food presented in small plates that are still large enough to be shared properly, and priced well enough to allow you to indulge in multiple dishes. Crispy pork belly ($10) was another winner, served over creamy white beans and topped with housemade romesco.

The menu is small and seasonal, so expect changes frequently, but count on various charcuterie and Spanish cheeses to always round out the mix, along with a truly fine sherry list, small but select. For a great finish, try the sherry flights, either three dry or three sweet sherries for $11 or $16

BY ANYA LEVYKH

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The room is slightly smaller, the bar is slightly longer and the wine and craft brew list is considerably expanded, but Forage, the new restaurant replacing the long-standing O’Doul’s at the Listel Hotel, is— as its name might suggest—all about sustainability. According to executive chef Chris Whittaker, one of Vancouver’s most under-sung (undeservedly so) culinary talents, it’s not about 100-mile menus—coffee, tea, lemons and salt are all available—but a more holistic focus. The kitchen hood vent uses 50 percent less BTUs than the commercial standard, the burners are pressure sensitive to reduce energy, and the entire restaurant is designed to maximize efficiency and minimize waste. The partnerships with Green Table, BC Hydro, Ocean Wise and other sustainability groups might make this the most sustainable restaurant in Western Canada.

As for the food, “It’s about 70 percent B.C., 20 percent from the Pacific Northwest and rest of Canada, and the remainder from international sources,” says Whittaker. It’s a practical approach that is also indicative of Whittaker’s unique philosophy on what constitutes sustainability. That view means no beef on the menu because of its high methane output, not even local, grass-fed varieties. Instead, look for local lamb and pork, wild venison and bison, and sustainable seafood galore.

The menu is categorized by serving style, rather than ingredient, so $5 snacks include pork and duck cracklings with popcorn and crispy spiced kale and apple chips that are ridiculously addictive. A bannock-style pan bread ($6) off the “Irons” menu is skillet-roasted with Golden Ears cheddar and a lightly spiced honey. A deep dish of albacore tuna ($20), seared rare, sits on a drool-worthy base of brown-butter gnocchi, chanterelles, hazelnuts and squash, with a blackberry and fir jelly made for dipping. Wild bison ravioli with grilled matsutake mushrooms ($16) is served open-face and topped with watercress and crispy parsnip. For dessert, we sampled the pain perdu ($8), served as autumnspiced brioche with brie anglaise and hazelnut caramel, courtesy of pastry chef Welbert Choi. It’s a fantastic team effort that is sure to be sustainable in longevity as well as output.

BY ANYA LEVYKH

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Minami Minami | 1118 Mainland St. | 604.685.8080 | www.minamirestaurant.com Sushi in Vancouver is so popular that it deserves to be its own food group. So, when another sushi restaurant opens up in Yaletown, it may not necessarily strike one as cause for comment. Minami, however, is not just another sashimi-slinging joint. Specializing in aburi, a form of nigiri that is partly flamegrilled and partly raw, the menu at Minami is an eclectic mix of traditional and modern Japanese influences, with a healthy dose of West Coast inclusiveness to round things out.

Ingredients like yuzu, fresh wasabi, lotus root, miso and sesame abound, but it is in the combinations of east and west that the menu shows its worth. Spring Creek tenderloin aburi nigiri is topped with soyglazed foie gras ($6). Slow-roasted beet and watercress salad ($12) comes with yuzu crème fraîche, fig chutney and yuzu chardonnay vinaigrette. Pair it with Gold Omachi Junmai sake off Minami’s stellar sake list. Junmai refers to the highly polished quality of the rice. The result is a silky smooth, light, almost frizzante beverage that holds a hint of melon on the palate, and balances the citrus elements in the dish.

The sake list is long and complex, and it’s okay to ask for help, especially when there are sake experts on hand like Miki Ellis, who led us through a tasting that brought out sake’s often overlooked ability to pair well with multi-course meals. According to Ellis, sake, unlike wine, refreshes the palate, rather than overloading it with tannins, meaning that constant sipping with multiple courses actually keeps the buds from overloading.

That was certainly the case on the night we went in for the omakase menu. Multiple courses ranging from miso-seared sablefish with oyster mushrooms, yuzu foam and kale gomae to local oysters with yuzu sparkling sake foam, pickled celery and cucumber, and a neat twist on a Rockefeller, with Miku secret sauce and wasabi relish, showed off the ingenuity of the kitchen, especially executive sous chef Alan Ferrer, who was responsible for our omakase experience and is the reason I will be returning soon.

BY ANYA LEVYKH

The Parker The Parker | 237 Union Street St., Vancouver | 604.779. 3804 | theparkervancouver.com Vancouver has long been blessed with a thriving cocktail culture, one that shows itself at a multitude of restaurants showcasing everything from casual comfort food to molecular stylings and multi-course menus.

One glaring exception in all this crafted bounty, however, has always been in the area of vegetarian dining. It seemed that cocktail-forward and plant-based were two terms destined to live apart, until, that is, two young lads decided to do something about it.

Chef Jason Liezert and barman Steve da Cruz have worked together before, at the ill-fated but popular Corner Suite Bistro de Luxe. Now they have come together as co-owners on this new project and the results are about as cocktail-friendly as they are food-fantastic.

The menu, which changes daily, is all about hyper-local, super-sustainable and very fresh ingredients.

Organic and biodynamic are de rigueur, and the wine list follows suit, with many local Demetercertified options. And, despite its vegan leanings, this is food that is full of flavour and richness, like the delectable gluten-free housemade gnocchi, graced with local mushrooms, Golden Ears cheddar and fresh thyme. Or the hazelnut dukka—a crumbly nut spread—served with crunchy lotus root chips.

Chickpea fries are almost creamy inside, with light, crispy coatings that maintain their crackle, even when dipped in the truly outstanding housemade ketchup.

As for the cocktails, they pair perfectly with the food, like the Shiroki, a sparkling wine-sake combo with apple and yuzu that refreshes the palate the more you sip. Another winner paired local vodka with walnuts, vanilla and pear liqueur for a lovely match to the gnocchi.

Like the dishes, the cocktails are seasonal and based on what’s available locally. One doesn’t normally talk about the terroir of a mixed drink, but, in this case, it’s clear that the cocktails show as much sense of place as the food—which perhaps explains their uncanny ability to pair so well with everything from savoury to sweet dishes like the hand-rolled chocolate vegan truffles. I have a feeling doing a stick-of-butter count might be a daunting proposition, so, instead, I’ll just enjoy the truffles, have a drink, and—like the menu—make myself at home.

BY ANYA LEVYKH

www.eatmagazine.ca JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013

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travel close to home

Eating the Island

7th Annual

Jeremy Ferguson reviews two of the best Tofino restaurants.

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Redefining surf-and-turf, ling cod paired with deep-fried prosciutto at the Pointe restaurant, Wickaninnish Inn

The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn | 500 Osprey Lane Tofino | 250.725.3106 | www.wickinn.com

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EAT MAGAZINE JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013

HOW COULD IT POSSIBLY have been so long? The Pointe at the Wick is into its 16th year. It hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t changed much, still defining rustic elegance, still delivering that wraparound view of the ocean and Chesterman Beach (and the piped-in sounds eightmetre-high waves crashing in from Japan in the winter months).

There are smallish, stylish changes in keeping with the innâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s $2.7-million reno earlier this year: new hand-woven runners from Italy, new tabletops and in a blow for romance, tables for two with both seats facing the ocean. Plus, more tasting menus and a sensible option allowing you to split starters between two choices at no extra charge.

At the stoves is exec chef Nick Nutting, a former chef de partie returned with his own sense of contemporary coast cuisine, mostly fish and seafood with inventive preparations and pairings.

Nutting likes marrying silk and satin textures to audible crunch: he pan-fries lingcod and pairs it with prosciutto deep-fried in a spring-roll wrapper, a sweet-and-salty, soft-and-crisp riff on surf-and-turf, and it takes right off.

And the tower, good grief, is back: a substantial slab of sablefish arrives under a sprawling mop of micro-greens under an unruly frizzle of deep-fried turnip. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Outlandish Carbonaraâ&#x20AC;? brings a deconstructed pasta â&#x20AC;&#x201D; seared Quadra Island scallop sausage, clams and bacon with ink-blackened noodles, a sous-vide egg the binder, to deliver a kick that transcends the sum of its parts.

And pastry chef Matt Wilson has come with up a most seductive dessert based on local coffee guy (Tofino Coffee Co.) Michael Farrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fine espresso. He devises a coffee ice cream cake, sets it on a base of Muscovado sugar jelly, crumbles caramelized coffee beans over it and garnishes it with biscotti and molecular biscotti foam. Coffee hits you every which way, as jelly, as silky ice cream, as crackling coffee beansâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;reason enough for coffee aficionados to be trekking to Tofino.

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Sobo Sobo | 311 Neill Street, Tofino | 250.725.2341 | www.sobo.ca

The whole beast

She cooks, he manages and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re coastal legend. The trajectory of Lisa and Artie Ahier zigzagged from running the exclusive Cibalo Creek Ranch in West Texas to three years in a catering truck before they established SoBoâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sophisticated Bohemianâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;as Tofinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most winning independent resto.

And the legend is about to spread: Random House is set to publish The SoBo Cookbook next year.

At lunch, Ahier turns out the best deep-fried oysters in town or, for that matter, all of B.C. when the mood strikes, gilding her bivalve lily with jalapeĂąo, avocado and tequila for a tempest of sweet, salty, hot and sour. I might not die for her oysters. But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d probably kill for them.

- -

Carol Clemens

Sobo's Fried Oysters and Polenta Chips The dinner menu is unusually inclusive, something for everyone at amiable prices, starting with a slate of pizzas classily topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano and dressed with the likes of house-smoked chicken and whisky habaĂąero barbecue sauce. Not a dull bite in the room.

There is duck confit and enchilada with green-chili- braised chicken and fish taco seething with spices that reflect chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s background in the American Southwest. Her flavours arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t big, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re gargantuan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lisa,â&#x20AC;? says Artie wryly, â&#x20AC;&#x153;is not fond of subtle.â&#x20AC;?

(And neither are we, not here.)

Turning to fish, ceviche nestles marinated halibut, scallops and prawns in a basket of blue corn chips, the natural flavours intact courtesy of a relatively brief spin in the lime juice. When it comes to ceviche, Ahier could teach our Mexican cantinas a thing or two. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Left Coastâ&#x20AC;? seafood stew brings a glorious mĂŠlange of halibut, scallops, mussels and clams in rich-tasting tomato-fennel broth, Tofinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s response to bouillabaisse. And from my experienceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;yes, I realize this is heresyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s even more pleasing than its Marseilles cousin.

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eating well for less — by Elizabeth Smyth Monk

Trinidad to Tibet

With a stop at a Nourish-ing garden in between.

Trini to D Bone | 650 Burnside Rd. W. | 778-440-6755 What’s behind the name of the Trinidadian dish “Buss Up Shut”? I had to have it spelled out for me. It means “busted up shirt.” Foodwise, it is a buttery, flaky, airy naan substitute that I enjoyed with some curried goat at this new Trinidadian restaurant. To create it, roti dough is rolled into a ball. Once it’s cooking, the chef takes two sticks and beats it until it looks like a tattered, torn – and busted up – shirt. A cross between a croissant and flaky pie pastry, the bread was perfect for scooping up the gamey, cumin-infused goat curry. This Saturday special for $13 also included a light chickpea curry.

You don’t come to Trini to D Bone, the newest addition to Victoria’s multicultural food scene, for atmosphere. Unless of course you’re hankering for the décor of a 1985 social services waiting room. But I don’t care. You come here for the food. As owner Nirmala says, in what I would love to see become an anti-slick-marketing motto, “Whatever I serve at home, that’s what you’re getting.” Go another day and, for $9.50, you might luck upon a special of stewed pork and dumplings—no fancy names here! Nirmala uses the technique of caramelization to achieve the complex flavour. The pork is seared in sugar and seasoned with cilantro, chives, garlic, green onions and Trinidadian curry spices.

All the dishes can be takeout, but the easiest one to grab and go is the chicken roti wrap for $9.50. Again, the baking skills are evident: the roti is soft and flavourful, stuffed with chicken and a mild chickpea-potato curry. It can all be jacked up with a homemade hot sauce, heavy on habanero and cilantro. The vegetarian version could include spinach or pumpkin on top of the potato-chickpea mix. This restaurant is just off Interurban, near the federal Plant Sciences building and not far from the Victoria General Hospital in one direction and Tillicum Mall in the other. Worth darting off major roads to check out.

Elizabeth Nyland

Pictured left: Chicken Roti wrap above: Owner/Chef: Nirmala and Jeffrey Singh

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Elizabeth Nyland

Metchosin lamb curry served with lentil soup, black rice and hand rolled poonies

Tibetan Kitchen, 680 Broughton St. near Douglas, 250-383-5664 Tibetan food has elements of Indian and Chinese cuisine but also some significant differences. It doesn’t use dairy, as Indian cuisine does, and it doesn’t use fish sauce, as Chinese cuisine does. This fusion is seen in Tibetan Kitchen’s delicious Organic Quinoa Stir-fry, on the lunch menu for $11. The seasonings for this dish, on top of the fragrant cumin, coriander and lashings of garlic, are both soya sauce and curry—China meets India. Curries come with a small lentil soup and two puris—puffy, airy flying saucers of bread—which makes for a satisfying lunch. The Metchosin Farm Lamb Curry has a beautiful deep ochre tone and a rich creaminess thanks to its cashew base. Like all the curries, it comes with a brown basmati and black wild rice mixture; the wild rice imparts a deep purplish tone to the dish, making it visually dramatic as well as tasty.

The beef fried rice for $11 was a pleasant surprise and a far cry from what I’ve had in Chinese restaurants. It is, in fact, a meal on its own: plenty of good quality AAA beef, snow peas and broccoli. And you can’t leave Tibetan Kitchen without sharing a plate of momos, a signature item of the restaurant, with your friends. These large dumplings are stuffed with vegetables or pork and come with a dipping sauce fragrant with cilantro. For more on chef-owner Pemba Doma and her Tibetan Kitchen, keep an eye out in January on the Food Network; she’ll be featured in an episode of You Gotta Eat Here.

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Nourish | 505 Quayle Rd. off Interurban (Horticultural Centre of the Pacific) | 250-590-6346 This is a special, hidden-away place. Enter the gardens of the Horticultural Centre of

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with a small sign saying “Nourish.” Take a few steps in, and it turns into a Narnia-like experience: the dull cupboard opens up to a pastoral vista. The restaurant has an indoor section with broad windows and two sheltered decks from which to view the gardens and a distant pond—a combination of rustic and romantic.

The food matches the wholesomeness of the view. The breakfast menu includes the Sleeping Beauty Pancake for $11, a buttermilk-oatmeal-cranberry confection with the texture of a moist banana bread and served with a bowl of braised local plums. I am ever grateful to restaurants that make it possible to feed small children in a healthy and affordable way, and so I commend them for offering a single of this pancake for only

250-658-3116

$3. Their version of the benny ($12) is fascinating; the poached egg is served on sweet

Our service can best be described as “Knowledgeable, yet not pretentious… …approachable, with a hint of sass!”

nutritional yeast and turmeric. The lunch menu generally offers a soup, a sandwich,

www.vqawineshop.ca

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the Pacific, and you’ll see one building that looks like a dull and functional trailer,

EAT MAGAZINE JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013

potato, and the deep yellow sauce is a blend of softened pureed cashews, canola oil, two hot dishes, and, for $5, a snacking plate of hummus with baguette or raw vegetables—another way to include small children. The beef cheeks stew with parsnip and carrot noodles is a rich mix of tender meat and lentils, with the fruity top note of an Asian pear chutney. The long “noodles” are actually raw parsnip and carrot. And while certainly wholesome and visually appealing, these would have been better on the side

Elizabeth Nyland

Sleeping Beauty Pancake with poached local plums

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or cooked to a slight softness. I experienced a mechanical difficulty; the long, stiff strings tended to fling hot gravy around, specifically at me.

Desserts here are fabulous. An apple crumble for $4.25 includes both roasted and dried apples, almonds and quinoa, and is served with whipped cream or coconut whipped cream, depending on availability. It is also offered in a breakfast portion. In line with its commitment to good health, Nourish offers an unbeatable special: on weekends, if you show up looking sweaty, having just worked out or come off the running and cycling trails that pass near it, you qualify for a two-for-the-price-of-one breakfast (as chosen by the restaurant). If I could bear the thought of exercise, I would certainly spend a Saturday morning on the trails and end the morning here (and then pick up a Trinidadian dish for dinner, since Trini is not far away.) Note that the restaurant is closed for the holidays until January 12.

travel close to home

Cedar House Restaurant & Chalets

W

Cedar House Restaurant & Chalets | 735 Hefti Rd., Golden, B.C. | cedarhousechalets.com hile driving to a hiking trip in the Rockies last summer, my wife and I stumbled upon an “organic restaurant” sign five minutes outside Golden, B.C., and just below the Kicking Horse Ski Resort. (Note: the sign has since been changed to “True Rocky Mountain Dining” as they don’t always have just organic food on the menu.) We followed the sign off the highway and onto a winding road up the mountain across from the fabled ski hill.

After a short drive, we arrived at Cedar House Restaurant and Chalets, a 10-acre, heavily wooded site with a handful of green-built cabins scattered over the grounds and a 40-seat restaurant with a long, fir bar overlooking an open kitchen under the direction of Max Charbonneau.

The Quebec-bred chef worked at several restaurants at the Mont Tremblant ski hill before moving to the Rockies in 1999. The self-described “passionate skier and mountain biker” immediately fell in love with the mountains surrounding Golden.

Charbonneau trained under European masters such as Sunshine Village executive chef Martin Brenner and Delta Banff Royal Canadian Lodge’s former executive chef Hans Hacker while working as sous chef in Banff. He moved to Cedar House Restaurant a year ago and “loves to create dishes with fresh, local ingredients inspired by classic French cuisine.”

Cedar House is on the Top 50 Places to Eat in Canada list and was chosen one of the nation’s Top 20 Weekend Getaways by enRoute magazine. Darrin DeRosa, another ski and wilderness enthusiast, bought and began renovating Cedar House in 2008. His chalets have from one to five bedrooms, kitchens, flat-screen televisions, down duvets, and washer/driers as well as patios with hot tubs and gas-fuelled barbecues. Some feature hybrid, passive/active heating and cooling systems and roof rainwater collection systems for the extensive gardens.

Those gardens provide most of the restaurant’s organic fruit, vegetables and herbs in the spring and summer. Charbonneau loves cooking duck confit, scallops and risotto and makes a killer Banoffee pie for dessert. His personal weakness is French fries in duck fat and Chinese pork dumplings.

After appetizers of seared scallops and garden greens, my wife and I shared the chef’s Crispy Skin Brome Lake Duck Breast with warm, beluga lentil salad, apple and rosemary puree and black currant sauce with a medley of fresh vegetables from the garden as well as a perfectly grilled beef tenderloin with Yukon Gold potato gratin, truffled veal jus and veggies.

Chef’s German-bred partner, Sabine Klauck, manages front of house and offers a well-curated wine list featuring Okanagan favourites from Tinhorn Creek, Summerhill and Hester Creek. During our visit, the restaurant was celebrating a month-long German Riesling showcase. We tried several with our meal and shared a dessert of Semifredo Mocha Cognac Prune Terrine before strolling to our quiet, comfy chalet for a deep sleep. Imagine a Rocky Mountain Sooke Harbour House.

The Cedar House kitchen closed for holidays in mid-October. The restaurant re-opens December 7. Watch for wine tasting and tapas events in the New Year and Charbonneau’s special Christmas martini, a secret recipe that includes pomegranate liquor, Calvados and cinnamon, during the holidays.

BY JOSEPH BLAKE

WE TRAVEL TO SOURCE SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO...

WWW.OUGHTRED.COM

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local kitchen

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BRUNCH TIME

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Recipes and food styling by JENNIFER DANTER Photography by MICHAEL TOURIGNY Art Direction by GARY HYNES

Eat, Quaff, Play Doctors’ orders: A wintry brunch, warming cocktails and an afternoon game of Scrabble.

CHEESY TOASTS & A WINTRY SALAD Sick of winter already? A warming brunch can be the antidote. Cook in your pyjamas, rock the bedhead and unabashedly savour the drippy pleasure of cheesy toasts and a wintry salad of roasted squash and hearty greens. A cocktail blending apple cider with whiskey and warming spices will put a rosy glow on your cheeks. Grab the Scrabble board and let the games begin.

West Coast Bluebit This is a twist on traditional Welsh rarebit: creamy spinach meets blue cheese on slabs of toasty rye bread. Caution: Dish is rich and may cause drowsiness. Avoid operating heavy machinery. Serves 4.

3 Tbsp butter 1 garlic clove, minced 1 large bunch spinach, chopped 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 1½ cups homogenized milk 1½ tsp Dijon mustard Pinches of sea salt, black pepper and ground nutmeg 3-oz crumbled blue cheese 8 slices rye bread, toasted 2 pears, sliced into thin wedges

Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a frying pan set over medium heat. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add spinach. Stir until wilted, 1 to 2 min. Remove from heat and set aside. When cool, squeeze out excess liquid.

Melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.

Whisk in flour. Whisk constantly until mixture bubbles and turns light golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk until evenly mixed and lump-free. Add Dijon, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir often until warm and bubbly, 2 minutes. Gradually add cheese, stirring well between additions, until melted. Stir in spinach. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Preheat broiler to high. Place toasts on a baking sheet. Generously spoon spinach-cheese mixture overtop, then finish with pears. Broil until bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve warm. If you have any chutney kicking around the nether regions of your fridge, bring it on.

CONT’D ON NEXT PAGE

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Whisky Cider Snap Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in 1 cup apple cider. Add a few cloves and 1 tsp grated ginger. Top with a generous 2 ounces whiskey (rye or bourbon). Shake well, then strain into 2 glasses. Repeat as necessary!

Pizza, Pasta

...and so much more!

Honeyed Squash Salad Honey is the hero here. If you stocked up during the summer on different types from Moss Street market, break out the most bold and gutsy one for this recipe. The roasted veggies go well with robust wintry salad greens. Try mixing up a variety of greens: thick leaves of spinach, baby kale, curly endive or shredded cabbage. Serves 4.

1 butternut or acorn squash, skin on, cut into wedges 2 red onions, cut into wedges 2 to 3 Tbsp olive oil 4 Tbsp local honey Âź cup chopped hazelnuts (optional) 6 to 8 cups salad greens

warming your winter heart

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

with a R omeoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pizza or Baked pa sta

1 tsp Dijon mustard Preheat oven to 400°F. Place veggies on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Roast until crispy around edges and soft in centres, 20 minutes. Drizzle with honey and scatter hazelnuts overtop and continue to roast until toasty, about 5 more minutes.

Whisk vinegar with Dijon and remaining oil. Place roasted veggies in a large bowl and place salad greens on top. Drizzle with dressing and toss to mix.

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liquid assets —by Larry Arnold SPARKLING Taittinger Brut Reserve Champagne NV France $62-70 Founded in 1734, Taittinger is one of the great names in the Champagne biz. The blend is 40% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir and 25% Pinot Meunier aged for 3 years on lees before release. Fresh and delicate with subtle flavours of honey and bread dough. Light and elegant.

Charles de Cazanove Tradition Brut Champagne NV France $50-55 Family owned and located in Reims, the heart of Champagne, the house was founded in 1811. This bubble is lip-smacking good. Elegant, with a beautiful tight bead and fresh apple, citrus and brioche flavours that linger on through the finish.

WHITES Synchromesh Riesling 2011 Okanagan $32-36* Located just outside of Okanagan Falls, Synchromesh may be one of the new kids on the block but from what I have tasted so far these folks look like they know what they are doing. The 2011 Riesling was a revelation! Very aromatic, very Riesling. Light, seductive and charming, with a flowery disposition, apricots and a whiff of petroleum. There is ample residual sugar, but make no mistake - the sweetness is nicely balanced with a crunch of mouthwatering acidity. Unfortunately only 41 cases were made.

left to right: Chateau Jouclary “Les Amandiers” Cabardes, Adegas Valminor Albarino Rias Baixas 2011, El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa Old Vine Garnacha 2010

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EAT MAGAZINE JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013

Devil’s Lair Margaret River Chardonnay 2009 Australia $42-47* Having just won, Vancouver Magazine Wine Awards 2013 “Best of Show” this Aussie chard from Margaret River will not last long on retailer’s shelves. Barrel-

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fermented and aged on its lees for 9 months in French oak Devil’s Lair is a beautiful balance between elegant fruit and toasty oak. Great depth and complexity with citrus, spice and hazelnut aromas. Full-bodied and full-flavoured with a soft creamy texture and a long spicy finish.

Neudorf Moutere Pinot Gris 2011 New Zealand $32-34* The 2011 vintage was voted best New Zealand Pinot Gris at The Age/The Sydney Morning Herald Good Wine Guide Awards in 2012. I can understand why; nothing can prepare you for a wine like this. Powerful and intense, a symphony of aromas bursting out of the glass: quince, white peach, honey and smoke. On the palate it is luscious and ethereal all at once with layer upon layer of exotic fruit flavours.

Adegas Valminor Albarino Rias Baixas 2011 Spain $23-25* Albarino’s greatest asset is its directness! Adegas Valminor is anything but subtle. It is fresh, it is electric, it is the pointy end of an ice pick! Stick your nose into a glass and take a deep sniff. The wine shouts out for fresh oysters or perhaps a trio of scallops shimmering in a light cream sauce. Albarino is the perfect foil for all manner of sea-bound creature. Straw yellow with an aromatic intensity that can come as a shock to the uninitiated. Citrus, grapefruit, green melon, all can be found within its shimmering depths! The palate is opulent but the mouthwatering acidity and slight spritz give it a nice edge.

Domaine Rene Mure Pinot Gris Alsace Signature 2010 France $24-26* The Mure family has been making wine in the Alsace since 1650. The family vineyard, Clos St. Landelin was certified organic in 1999 with plans for biodynamic certification by 2015. This is all very good but the clincher is in the glass. The gris is a dazzler, pure pleasure to drink. Fruity, yes, spicy, yes, richly textured and unctuous, mind blowing, with great length and a finish that lingers and lingers.

REDS Chateau Jouclary “Les Amandiers” Cabardes 2009 France $22-24* The Languedoc (pronounced long-dock) is a broad, crescent shaped swath of vineyards and scrub stretching from the Pyrenees, east through southern France. It is the largest wine-producing province of France and as such, is a good place to look for interesting wines at reasonable prices. The wines of this little 60-hectare, family-run estate are worth a hard look. This hearty little brute is a blend of Merlot, Syrah and Grenache. It is compact yet powerful, a middleweight that packs a punch. Dark and refined with lovely spice, bramble and black olive aromas and restrained fresh fruit flavours, with none of that heavy baked fruitiness found in many from the neighbourhood. Sleek with a soft tannic structure and a long gritty finish. A very honest Cabardes with a real sense of place.

Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2008 Australia $22-26* Wynns Coonawarra Estate was the first winery to be established in the Coonawarra in 1896. The region’s famed terra rossa soils are well know for producing fruit of exceptional quality and this wine does not disappoint. Aged for 18 months in a combination of French and American oak this tasty blend is a profusion of up-front, red berry, plum, cedar and anise aromas. Medium-bodied with blackberry and cassis flavours, nicely integrated oak nuances and fine-grained tannins.

Calera Central Coast Pinot Noir 2009 California $42-45* Perched on a ridge, high on Mount Harlan, The Calera Wine Company is an icon of the California wine industry. They have been around a long time and are well known for making distinctive Pinot Noirs. The fruit for their Central Coast Pinot Noir is sourced from seven different vineyards. Delicious. The aroma leaps out of the glass: black cherry, flowers, spice. The nose is elegant, intense and very complex. A firm wine with great depth and length.

El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa Old Vine Garnacha 2010 Spain $25-27* This is a terrific Spanish Garnacha (Grenache) from the Navarra, a region just east of Spain’s famed Rioja. Bright ruby, lovely, savory aromas of violets, spice, dark cherry and wild herbs. Lots of character with delicious ripe fruit flavours and well-integrated oak.

Plenty of power but nothing aggressive, just pure, simple pleasure.

Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2007 Italy $35-45* Predominantly Sangiovese with a splash of Cabernet from the estate’s vineyards in Peppoli, Badia a Passignano and Tignanello. Full-bodied and concentrated with red cherry, earth and floral aromas, great depth of flavour with incredible complexity and a blush of fine grained tannins! Dubbed “Baby Tignanello” by Robert Parker.

DRINKING Guide: How to use our purchasing information. *Asterisks denote wines that are only available at the winery or select private liquor stores. Some may be in limited quantities. All other wines are available through BC Liquor Stores. Prices may vary.

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Photo by Gary Hynes

vincabulary - By Treve Ring

Syrah

{SEE-rah} {seh-ra} {shir-AZZ}

Que Syrah? Est Shiraz! Though two different names, the grapes are indeed the same. What’s in a name? Well, in the case of Syrah/Shiraz, a LOT. Over time, the words have come to differentiate the grape stylistically. Syrah denotes old world in style: savoury, high acid, high tannin, black pepper and dark floral notes. Shiraz as a name lends itself to fruitier examples of style: new world plump ripeness, soft tannins, earth, black licorice. The grape is late budding, very deep in colour and with very high anthocyanins, indicative of texture, longer aging and making friends with oak.

The grape itself is ancient – Syrah is the offspring of the grape varieties Dureza (father) and Mondeuse Blanche (mother), from the Ardèche and Montpellier regions of south eastern France. DNA typing has concluded Syrah originated from northern Rhône, though the date of first plantings are unknown. In the year AD 77, Pliny the Elder wrote in his Naturalis Historia about the wines of Vienne (today’s Côte-Rôtie), where famous and prized wine was made from a dark-skinned grape variety that had not existed some 50 years earlier, in Virgil's age. For centuries it has been recognized that the spiritual home of Syrah in the northern Rhône are the wines of Hermitage, the hill above the town Tain-l'Hermitage. There is a little hermitage (chapel) built on the top that you can still hike up and visit today, and where the Knight Gaspard de Stérimberg is supposed to have settled as a hermit after his crusades. The chapel was built in honor of Saint Christopher and today is owned by the negociant Paul Jaboulet Âiné.

Syrah loves granite, especially when it’s well draining and angled on a slope. You may increasingly hear people volley about the term “cool climate Syrah” and the like, attempting to differentiate the wine’s structure and freshness from the backlash against flabby, warm climate Australian Shiraz (a cloak that Australia as a whole is still struggling to disrobe).

MELLOW

FLORAL

HERBAL

SOFT

CLASSIC

WILD

Liberty School

Torbreck

Nichol Vineyard

Reyneke Wines

M. Chapoutier

De Martino

Syrah 2008

Woodcutters Shiraz 2010

Syrah 2010

Reserve Syrah 2010

Legado Reserva Syrah 2010

ORIGIN: Paso Robles, California THE WALLET: $22-26* ALCOHOL: 13.5% abv TASTE: Mellow through time in bottle, this 2008 is a current release in this market, and a phenomenal price if you’re looking for a well-crafted, pedigreed wine with some age. Dusty cassis and light raspberry spice lead into a silken textured wine, with tannins worn to the nub, and a concentrated cocoa finish. Liberty School only releases the Syrah to the Canadian market (lucky us).

ORIGIN: Barossa Valley, Australia THE WALLET: $33-37 ALCOHOL: 14.5% abv TASTE: This big, damson, grilled juicy plum red is dense, without being heavy.

There is a cooling and riveting pulse of floral throughout – violets, iris – overlaying lush blackberry, sweet fennel sausage, fresh black pepper and black licorice finish.

ORIGIN: Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, BC THE WALLET: $35-40* ALCOHOL: 13% abv TASTE: I love pouring this wine blind for people. 9 out of 10 wine pros will peg this old world. The freshness!

The bright acidity! The savoury elements! Yes – all of that, plus an unmistakably alluring dried and fresh herbal vein. Dark cherry, pan roasted Christmas spice, textured and mineral, and that length… Wow. Oldest Syrah vines in Canada, on steep granite.

ORIGIN: Stellenbosch, South Africa THE WALLET: $30-34 ALCOHOL: 14% abv TASTE: This organic syrah is like bittersweet cocoa in the mouth. Powdery, plush, bittersweet. Intriguing and mysterious. A bit of dried currants and polished blueberries over an undercurrent of clay. Medium bodied, lifted acidity with powdery cloaked tannins trail a long finish.

Les Meysonniers Crozes-Hermitage 2009

*Asterisks denote wines that are only available at the winery or select private liquor stores.

Some may be in limited quantities. All other wines are available through BC Liquor Stores. Prices may vary.

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ORIGIN: Rhone, France THE WALLET: $27-32 ALCOHOL: 13% abv TASTE : To me, Syrah IS northern Rhone. It’s the style I personally love, though challenging for many to conquer. If you’re not there yet, don’t give up.

Come back later. Grilled meat, savoury black cherry, and whole cloves on the nose. The textured palate echoes with charcuterie, black cracked pepper, dried cassis. The tannins, while hard edged and structured, act as the perfect frame for the fruit. Espresso on the lingering finish.

ORIGIN: Choapa Valley, Chile THE WALLET: $20-24* ALCOHOL: 14% abv TASTE: The untamed wildness of this delicious wine is direct from its site. Choapa is approximately 800m above sea level, in the Andes, in Chile’s dry north.

These ungrafted vines yield fresh, thorny, red cherry and charred/caramelized onion aromas. The Juicy, full palate is bright with fresh cracked pepper, cured salami and spiced red currant. Intense, almost saline minerality and a spicy lingering finish.

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cookbooks

EVERYONE CAN COOK EVERYTHING

By Eric Akis, Whitecap (Hardcover) $35.00 isbn 978-1-77050-109-6

With six Everyone Can Cook books and 750 original recipes under his belt, Everyone Can Cook Everything is author Eric Akis’ rock compilation album—a best hits medley sung to the tune of user-friendly and deliciousness. The 240 recipes included in the 434-page book were chosen by the author and feature his signature, easy-to-follow instructions. The premise is you don’t need to be a cook at Momofuku or go to culinary school to be able to prepare good tasting meals for your family and friends. Akis believes that all it takes is a little desire, inspiration, and confidence to succeed in the kitchen.

There is a great variety of recipes in Everyone Can Cook Everything—from the sublimely simple Shrimp Cocktail Canapés; Fettuccini with Chicken, Pesto & Cherry Tomatoes; and Halibut and Spinach Wrapped in Phyllo Parcels to homey dishes like Devilled Eggs; Deluxe Potato Salad; Glazed Meatloaf with Onion Gravy; and Easy Roll Ginger Cookies. If you own a slow cooker, you’ll appreciate innovative recipes like Vancouver Island University, Culinary Institute, Cowichan Campus, is due to open a satellite program for Professional Cooking Apprenticeship P.C. 1 & 2, at Providence Farm February 4, 2013. This will be a full time adult training program with an emphasises on local, sustainable and field to plate experience.

The course will run for ten months, Tues - Sat in the evenings. Students can expect an

Slow Cooker Durban-Style Chicken Curry, Sweet and Sour Meatballs, and Barbecue Pork Back Ribs with Bourbon.

Fans of brunch (and who isn’t?) will love the Sweet Bell Pepper Hash Browns or the Make-Ahead Eggs Benedict when they want a step-up from their usual fare. Vegetarians will be happy, too. Chapters on salads and vegetarian entrées have been included. I tried the Chickpea Burgers and found them a satisfying and healthy alternative to beef burgers. Next, I’m looking to trying the Pumpkin Chili with Poblano Peppers and Corn. The salad section features 17 salads for all seasons—from Moroccan-Spiced Potato and Carrot Salad to Candied Salmon, Goat Cheese and Blueberry Salad.

The book ends with Baked Goods and Desserts. Look for enticing sweets such as Lemon Lover’s Cupcakes, Mandarin Cherry Tarts with Ganache, and Creamy Coffee Cheesecake. There’s also a recipe for Flaky Pie Dough that I’ve used to make tourtière and apple pie and even I, a non-pastry person, can vouch for it—definitely flaky.

Everyone Can Cook Everything is extensive, comprehensive, and well laid out. No matter the meal or the occasion, home cooks will find plenty of recipes that appeal to them and, by following the recipes, can become a rockstar in the kitchen. —staff

"Artisan Field to Plate" experience through the seasons and to participate in farm activities. The Culinary Program will operate a small "Farm / Community" style restaurant which will be open to the public.

For more information vist the website at www.cc.viu.ca/progserv/culinary.htm or call 250-746-3500.

A Special Promotion

Church and State Wines 2010 Coyote Bowl Syrah 3rd Best Red Wine in Canada 2010 Canadian Wine Awards "Addictive aromas of black pepper, cassis, crushed violet and cured meats are found on the nose of this syrah. The structured palate is full, with dried cherry and sweet cassis, charcuterie, hints of medicinal cherry cola and violet notes. It has impressive texture and length." - 2012 CWA Judge churchandstatewines.com

Quails’ Gate 2011 Dry Riesling Crisp and dry with great acid, our Riesling is made from estate vines over 25 years old.

The wine is zingy and fresh on the palate with mouth-watering acidity. It finishes with fresh citrus and beautifully balanced ripe fruit sweetness.

Pair with citrus cured wild salmon or a roasted pork sandwich with zesty coleslaw. True Riesling lovers will appreciate this wines cellaring potential of 5-10 years. quailsgate.com

Kettle Valley Winery 2009 Petit Verdot Kettle Valley’s first Petit Verdot grapes were harvested in 2000 and were added to our Old Main Red, a bordeaux blend.

In 2001 we produced our first single varietal Petit Verdot.

The wine has gone through a full malolactic fermentation and was aged in French oak for 21 months. This late ripening, small berry grape produces intense colour, bright fruit flavours and aromas of violets. kettlevalleywinery.com

Mt. Boucherie Family Estate Winery Summit Reserve 2009 Blaufränkisch At over 300 acres Mt. Boucherie is one of the largest family owned and operated vineyards and winery estates in British Columbia Aromas and flavours of blueberries and plums with a hint of spice.

Rich tannins with balanced acidity leads to a smooth finish. Pair with braised beef dishes, lamb or feta dishes. mtboucheriewinery.com

Moon Curser Vineyards Dead of Night 2010 Dead of Night is a blend of Tannat and Syrah. Tannat is a red grape variety traditionally grown in the Madiran region of France. Our planting of Tannat (the only one in Canada) has yielded an award-winning wine that displays notes of cocoa, dark plums, violets and black pepper. mooncurser.com

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terroir — by Michelle Bouffard and Michaela Morris

Wine Resolutions Seven promises to keep for 2013 that are sure to widen your wine horizons.

T

he New Year offers an opportunity to review our lives and relationships and make some improvements. How’s your relationship with wine? Could it use some rejuvenation and attention in 2013? Who knows, your resolve in the wine arena might even catch on in other parts of your life.

Drink more bubble Nothing suggests celebration like a glass of steadily rising bubbles. And while no festivity should be without, it’s a shame that sparkling wine is restricted to special occasions. Bubble has a place beyond the token wedding toast. It’s a great partner with food and is home at the dining table next to any meal.

Cristalino, Brut Cava DO, Spain $13-15 (SKU #551218) It’s important to have a steady supply of bubbles. Thank you, Spain, for making them affordable without sacrificing character. Drink anytime.

Oyster Bay, Sparkling Cuvée Rosé, New Zealand $25-28 (SKU #772079) Slightly fuller-bodied, it’s an appropriate choice for lunch. Tasty red berries abound.

Be adventurous It’s human nature to stick with what we know, but this tendency can hinder the chance of discovering something fantastic. In 2013, be brave and stray off the beaten track, exploring lesser known grapes and regions. With its assortment of characterful, indigenous varieties, Italy is a natural place to start. Don’t be intimidated by all the unrecognizable names. You are guaranteed to find food-friendly wines packed with personality. Having recently visited the southern region of Campania, we are fascinated with the Aglianico grape. Want to venture further? Why not try a new Italian grape every month? Barbera, Primitivo, Nero d’Avola, Negroamaro … the choices are endless! Your resolve to be adventurous might catch on in other parts of your life.

2005 Rivera ‘Cappellaccio’, Aglianico, Castel del Monte Riserva DOC, Italy $28-32 Aglianico has beautiful flavours of black plum and tar. High acidity and firm tannin also allows the best to age. This fine example can be enjoyed now.

Reconnect with old friends We refer fondly to wines we used to buy when we first started drinking, yet in our tireless quest for the new we overlook these old favourites. Okay, some of them never need be revisited, but the best ones inspired us to dedicate our lives to wine. Once upon a time, Aussie Shiraz and Chilean Cab were staples for us. Some of the names that were good 10-15 years ago are still going strong today. As well, a dizzying selection of newcomers is demonstrating how these countries have evolved. Australia diversifies by highlighting distinct regions while Chile is venturing into new, cooler areas like Casablanca, Limarí and Elqui.

2009 Xanadu, Shiraz, Margaret River, Australia $15-17 (SKU #106525) Cooler Margaret River produces wines with restraint and elegance. This is a great example; fresh and lively if and still full-bodied. Put your preconceived ideas of Aussie Shiraz aside.

2009 Cousino Macul, ‘Antiguas Reserva’ Maipo, Chile $20-23 (SKU #298075) This old favourite stands the test of time. Buy multiple bottles and put a few in your cellar.

It has proven to deliver great surprises with some aging.

Support the home team Once you start venturing into the world of wine don’t forget our own backyard. The wine industry in B.C. is very young and still searching for an identity. For us it has been exciting to see what stars emerge. Our latest loves are the best examples of dry Riesling, light pure Pinot Noir and refreshing Syrah, all of which exude the cooler climate.

2011 Mission Hill Martin’s Lane Riesling, Okanagan Valley BC VQA, $25-28* Precise with great concentration of flavours balanced by searing acidity. Loves Indian food.

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2010 Tantalus, Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley BC VQA, $30-35* Crunchy cherries and cranberry flavours with subtle vanilla notes. Happily, not over-extracted or over-oaked. Enjoy with salmon, tuna or charcuterie.

Go greener After all of your efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle, you deserve a glass of wine.

Integrate this ritual into your green initiatives by choosing environmentally conscious producers. While organic farming focuses on the health of the soil, biodynamic practices offer a holistic approach beyond the vine. Then there is sustainability, an extremely broad concept but one that can address economic and social responsibilities. Plenty of debate surrounds these topics, but if you care enough, a little research will help you choose the wines most aligned with your beliefs. Whatever you do, don’t sacrifice taste! Your wine should be delicious. Some favourites that grace our shelves regularly include Emiliana and Cono Sur from Chile, Yalumba from Australia, Chapoutier in France and Telmo Rodríguez in Spain.

2011 Poggiotondo, Bianco Toscana IGT, Italy, $15-18 (SKU #137570) This blend of Vermentino, Trebbiano and Malvasia gives thirst-quenching citrus, apple and mineral notes. Fabulous with seafood.

2011 Bila-Haut, Côtes-du-Roussillon Villages AOC, France $15-18 (#175042) Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris with a dash of Macabeu. Medium to full-bodied white with tons of lemon, grapefruit and an intriguing saline minerality. Enjoy with poultry.

WINE, SPIRITS & ALE FOR EVERY OCCASION From B.C. and around the world.

Spend less We’ve been known to blow our week’s wine budget on a single bottle. Come Wednesday, we’re thirsty and broke. This can be avoided! Plenty of great wines under $20 exist and nothing is more satisfying than finding an inexpensive wine that overdelivers for the price. South America is a treasure trove of fabulous values while Portugal is really starting to blossom. The latter also boasts fantastic indigenous grape varieties that will encourage you to be adventurous.

2009 José Maria da Fonseca, ‘Periquita’, Setúbal, Portugal, $10-12 (SKU# #25262) The perfect everyday drinking wine. Savoury aromas and flavours of cherries and leather.

Versatile enough to match pasta, pork, chicken and red meat.

2010 Las Moras, Reserve Tannat, San Juan, Argentina $15-17 (SKU: #104018) The Tannat grape shines in Argentina. Full-bodied and packed with dense prune and raisin notes. Perfect with a juicy steak.

2008 Canta Perdices, Ribera del Duero DO, Spain $16-18 (SKU #16733) You can also count on Spain for well-priced unique wines. Made from Tempranillo, this fullbodied red offers black currant, leather and meaty flavours that will complement any lamb dish.

Lets be friends: /metroliquorstores /metroliquor

Victoria: University Heights Mall, Tuscany Village, Brentwood Bay Kelowna: Downtown Cultural District | metroliquor.com

Spoil yourself Sometimes you need to throw practicality out the window and indulge. Cool damp weather getting you down? Frustrated at work? Kids driving you nuts? A glass of your favourite tipple can help put the world right. For best results, treat yourself to something really special. We have a well-known weakness for Champagne and even have a separate budget for good and bad times. We also have a current obsession with Brunello, spawned by a trip to Tuscany last spring. We are spoiled for choice as both the classic and refined 2006 and the more precocious and richer 2007 vintages are currently available from a variety of great producers. What is your desert island wine?

Here are a couple of ours. n/v Bollinger, Special Cuvée, Brut Champagne AOC, France $75-83 (SKU #384529) Powerful yet light on its feet. Enticing brioche aromas and incredible depth. Pure pleasure!

2007 Talenti, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Italy, $65-72 (SKU #154500) Elegant and feminine, this Brunello offers complex flavours of leather, cherries, sweet tobacco and lingering mineral notes. Cooking osso buco? This is the one.

Our wine program for 2013 looks something like this: don’t get complacent but don’t neglect your roots. Spend less more often and more less often. Consider the environment by supporting producers who share this philosophy and by going local. And drink bubble whenever appropriate, which is always.

DRINKING Guide: How to use our purchasing information. *Asterisks denote wines that are only available at the winery or select private liquor stores. Some may be in limited quantities. All other wines are available through BC Liquor Stores. Prices may vary.

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what to drink with that — DRINK editor Treve Ring asks local wine experts how they would approach pairing dishes and flavours.

[

COMFORT Fried chicken with yeasted semolina waffle, ham and clover honey.

CLEANSE Avocado and tofu salad with dark sesame oil, scallions and lemon juice.

T H I S

M O N T H ’ S

]

E X P E R T S

Stephen Bonner (SB) General Manager, Sommelier, BierCraft

Neil Ingram (NI) Wine Director and co-owner of Boneta restaurant

Carmen Parry (CP) Sommelier, The Westin Bear Mountain Victoria

Stephen is diploma graduate of WSET, former OIddbin’s manager in London and a graduate of Terrance Conran’s Butlers Wharf Chef School in restaurant management. He has been the sommelier for Waazubee Café, Kitsilano Daily, and the Daniel Group. He is currently GM of BierCraft Restaurants and creator of the BC corkage fee blog www.bccorkagefees.blogspot.com

This curious and thirsty fellow has been an avid member of Vancouver’s wine community since 1996, when he returned home to help his friend Andrey Durbach open Etoile Restaurant. It was there with Andrey and Barb Philip he began to turn away from the stage and fall in love with the grape. From 1999 to 2006 he ran the wine program at the storied Lumiere restaurant. In 2007 he opened the pioneering Gastown spot Boneta. He was named Sommelier of the Year by his peers in 2008 and continues to judge, consult, taste and opine whenever there’s a free moment.

Carmen started her food and beverage journey at the Hotel Grand Pacific in 2003 as a banquet server while she attended college. During her tenure there she began studying and appreciating wine, and completed her Sommelier Diploma through the International Sommelier Guild in 2009. Presently she is the Sommelier at the Westin Bear Mountain, where she can be found hosting an informal tasting series on Friday nights and continuing to develop the wine program.

COMFORT Fried chicken with yeasted semolina waffle, ham and clover honey.

SB. Chicken is a blank canvas for both red and white wine. To bridge the flavours of the clover honey, inherent sweetness of the ham, and the textural element of the waffle I’d recommend a Chenin Blanc preferably an off dry “Moelleux” style from France’s Vouvray, Coteaux du Layon, or Quarts de Chaume appellations, or South African oak influenced Chenin Blanc. The honeyed quality of an aged French Chenin with its balancing acidity makes it a perfect foil to this dish with the rare combination of contrasts and compliments.

The floral and rice pudding quality of an oak influenced South African Chenin complements the chicken and waffle.

NI. Bottled autumnal sunshine is the most comforting thing ever, with the possible exception of fried chicken. Together can they do no harm. My favourite sun with that chicken would be a lovely & juicy off-dry Loire Chenin Blanc: a Vouvray or Savennieres would work a treat with the juicy flesh, ham and honey, the underlying acidity of the grape running herd on the richness. A nice alternative, as always, would be a big, round Spatleselevel Riesling from the Rheingau.If red is called for something light, bright, fruity and with a gentle slap to balance its tickle: a good Cru Beaujolais from 2010 or a pretty Lange Nebbiolo from 2009. And, if you’re feeling decadent, chicken, waffles and champagne never did no one wrong.

CP. This definitely calls for wine with good structure and acidity to cut through the fat and salt of the meal. A rich, dry Riesling from Alsace is my top pick. Flavours of peach, grapefruit and lemon, as well as, the ripe, juicy acidity will really enhance the meal. I would also love to pair this dish with sparkling wine. Sparkling wine has too often been kept only for celebrating, but the yeasty flavours, acid structure and delicate bubbles make it an amazing food wine. Champagne would be absolutely divine with the fried chicken and waffles.

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CLEANSE Avocado and tofu salad with dark sesame oil, scallions and lemon juice.

SB. Although a simple sounding dish this salad has complexity and layers of flavours. The perceived neutral flavor of tofu is enhanced by its umami qualities when married with sesame oil. This dish cries out for a pungent new world Sauvignon Blanc preferably from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. The zesty acidity of the wine balances the lemon juice and the pungent gooseberry, passion fruit, nettle, and capsicum notes contrast the rich earthiness of the sesame, avocado, and umami.

Chilean Casablanca Valley Sauvignon Blanc is another option with a similar flavour profile to New Zealand.

NI. Isn’t asking for the best cleanse wine like asking for the best road-trip beer? It’s a mixed message at the best, but hey, at least nobody gets hurt on the cleanse-cheat.

A nice Australian Semillon would fit the bill well. The lemon and sesame oil would play well with it and the texture of the avocado and tofu would flesh out the wine too. Plus it’s usually lower in alcohol so you won’t feel bad about having that nip of Tequila on the side.

CP. The rich, creamy texture coupled with the zesty dressing lead me in many directions. Fruity and floral, aromatic wines are a great match for this salad. The ability of the wine to refresh the palate from the smooth, creamy texture of the avocado is important to consider when pairing this dish. A Chenin Blanc from the Okanagan Valley, with flavours of quince and beeswax, fresh and crisp, yet honeyed and bursting with flavour, would be a wonderful match.

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Perfectly placed in the South Okanagan

] P

erfectly placed on rich South Okanagan farmland, Tinhorn " # " # # '$ # # & %& % ! " ' $ ' & ' $ ) &% " namesake. We are environmental stewards of 150 acres of &% " & # % ! # % '$ ! %! $ % & %$# "% " # % '$ # % & %! $( # '$ "# & ) &' $ ' $ "& ' '# ! " ' '$ " ' " "# &" " & % ) &% ' $ ' ) " %# ) % # " ( " '# '& " & "& " " %' '$ finest of each vintage.

www.tinhorn.com

www.eatmagazine.ca JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013

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The Buzz

WHO’S DOING WHAT IN VICTORIA, VANCOUVER, THE OKANAGAN, TOFINO, THE COWICHAN & NANAIMO

VICTORIA: Tis There is an old British New Year’s tradition that involves opening the back door at the stroke of midnight to let the old year out. This tradition came to mind when rounding up Victoria’s restaurant news for this issue and I think you’ll see why. The last few months of 2012 saw a lot of doors opening and closing.

The most notable of these was the late October closure of Ronald Orr Butcher and Sons’ three locations. The Orr’s traditional butcher’s shop was known for its quality antibiotic and hormone free meats, as well as its sausage, haggis and other ex-pat treats. After 34 years in business, Orr’s will be greatly missed. Another loss that will be felt in both the food and music communities is the December closing of the Fort Street Café. After six years in business, the popular lunch spot/music venue was not able to renew its lease, however fundraising efforts are underway to finance their relocation.

The end of 2012 saw several reincarnations as well. In the Estevan Village, Paprika Bistro owner Geoff Parker decided the time had come to rebrand and in early November the restaurant reopened as Padella Italian Bistro. The new bistro is open for lunch as well as dinner offering traditional Italian cuisine using Vancouver Island’s best ingredients. Chef John Paul Turions (Stage, Camille’s, Devour, Les Faux Bourgeois) has taken over the kitchen. (www.padellaitalianbistro.com) Another change occurred at the corner of Oak Bay Ave and Monterey, where the Oak Bay Bistro transformed momentarily into a supper club, but in early November new owners Nick Hopkins and Isa Hosein opened the Oaks Restaurant and Grill, serving a family-friendly, inclusive menu which features a children’s menu and gluten free dishes. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the restaurant serves daily soups, burgers, sandwiches, pizza as well as a few tips of the hat to the Blethering Place with items like Bangers and Mash.

In Fernwood, Kulu Restaurant closed its doors, and has since become Ça Va Bistro Moderne. Chef Fauna Martin is a Victoria native who completed her culinary degree at Camosun College and spent four years apprenticing in Australia. This experience contributes to her unique take on West Coast cuisine.

Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday- Sunday, and Brunch Saturday-Sunday. (www.cavavictoria.com) In food truck news, the Taco Justice League truck rolled into town in September and has been “fighting hunger one taco at a time” in the form of their Cali-Mex, Asian Fusion and West Coast style tacos at the corner of Cook and Pandora. Open Tuesday – Saturday from 11.30am-4pm. (www.tacojustice.com) Opimian, Canada’s wine club, is pleased to announce that Steve and Carole Hutchinson will be taking over the responsibility as Area Representatives for Opimian’s Victoria chapter starting January 1, 2013. Opimian is a wine-purchasing cooperative based in Montreal, Quebec. There are more than 20,000 members across Canada, with over 500 members on Vancouver Island. Steve and Carole can be reached at victoria@ar.opim.ca and are available to answer questions about upcoming events, becoming an Opimian member and more.

We already know 2013 is going to be a good year for Victoria’s food lovers because it is the year the city sees the long-awaited return of its permanent public market. The new Public Market at the historic Hudson Building is slated to open in April 2013, and in November the Victoria Downtown Public Market Society announced a preliminary list of vendors, including shops by well-respected local busi-

nesses Silk Road, Salt Spring Island Cheese, and Wildfire Bakery; hot food outlets by amazing local chefs like George Szasz (formerly of Stage) and Cosmo Means (Hot and Cold Café); and great new and emerging businesses like the Island Spice Trade, Tortilleria Monterrey, and Bounty Seafood at the Hudson. Modeled after popular markets like the Ferry Building in San Francisco, the Atwater Market in Montreal and London’s Borough Market, the Victoria Public Market is a food-centered Public Market that will feature farmers’ day tables, semi-permanent kiosks with 1-year leases and permanent vendors with 3year leases. The market will also include a commercial kitchen for cooking classes, special dinners, urban agriculture workshops and special events. We’re already counting down the days until opening!

—Rebecca Baugniet VANCOUVER: Food Organic Acres (www.organicacresmain.com), a local, independently-owned grocer located at Granville Island Public Market, has moved to 3603 Main Street and expanded their offerings to include a wide variety of organic goods, both fresh and dry.

On the west side, Beaucoup Bakery & Café (www.beaucoupbakery.com) has opened their doors at Fir Street and West 6 Avenue, specializing in childhood favourites and French classics, including sweet pastries, cakes, viennoiserie, sandwiches and croissants, as well as 49th Parallel coffee and select retail items.

Year-round pork…local food truck Pig on the Street (www.pigonthestreet.com) has expanded their offerings by opening a brick-and-mortar location aptly named Pig & Mortar in the South Granville neighbourhood. The pork-centric menu will focus on pub eats, craft brews, and wines on tap from Vancouver Urban Winery.

In other food truck-inspired news, Diva at the Met (www.metropolitan.com/diva) Executive Chef Hamid Salimian has created street food-style lunch offerings, including a corndog made with sweetbread sausage battered in buttermilk and cornmeal and topped with truffle mayo. The menu will change weekly, and runs through to the end of January.

A Fraîche start…Executive Chef Jefferson Alvarez of Fraîche (www.fraicherestaurant.ca) has left his culinary home in West Vancouver to take over the kitchen at Lift (www.liftbarandgrill.com) in Coal Harbour.

Beachside Forno EC Jason Harris will be taking over from Alvarez.

Vancouver Urban Winery (vancouverurbanwinery.com) has released their first wine label. Roaring Twenties Wine Co. currently has two releases, a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and a Mendoza Malbec.

Both are available in steel kegs via the FreshTAP system as well as in select private wine retailers.

Edible Canada (www.ediblecanada.com) has released their first custom label, Market Red, in partnership with Okanagan Crush Pad. The Gamay Noir-Syrah blend features grapes from Seacrest Mountain Vineyards in Oliver and Cerqueira Vineyard, respectively. With only 100 cases produced, it should sell out fast. Available at the bistro (by the glass and bottle), as well as at select private retailers.

Stanley Park Brewery (www.stanelyparkbrewery.ca) has released a new Belgian-style dark ale, Stanley Park Brun, for the winter months. Made from a mixture of Crystal, Pilsner and Munich malts, look for large, lingering head of chocolate, malt biscuit and roasted nuts. Pair with stews, chocolate and mild cheeses. At private wine and beer stores.

The 2nd Annual FeastVan (www.feastvan.com) will be taking place January 18 through February 3.

Dozens of East Side restaurants will participate by donating one dollar from each prix fixe meal sold to Strathcona Community Centre Backpack Food Program, helping children in the DTES bridge the “weekend gap” when school food programs are not running.

Sean Heather of The Irish Heather, Judas Goat, Salt Tasting Room, et al, is opening another new Gastown spot, Rainier Provisions, at the corner of Carrall and Cordova. Part deli/butcher, part restaurant, look for quality meats from JN&Z and Moccia, as well as fine imported cheeses, cornichons, etc.

Opening this month.

Andrea Carlson, former EC at Bishop’s and Raincity Grill, is opening Burdock & Co. in the former Cafeteria space at 2702 Main Street. Look for a menu that features urban agriculture projects like SOLEfood, as well as other local/sustainable producers.

Section (3) has closed its doors after 18 years in Yaletown. The space is being taken over by Romer’s Burger Bar (www.romersburgerbar.com) for their third location. —Anya Levykh TOFINO: Just in time for the winter blues, a new Tofino business offers fresh organic cakes and cupcakes, some of which can be delivered right to your door. Tofino Cake Studio is the brainchild of Leah and Gord Austin,former owners of Chocolate Tofino. Out of a small footprint certified kitchen built off their home, Leah and Gord are dolling out some of the best sweet treats I’ve ever tried. The cupcakes I’ve sampled include a pumpkin cream cheese icing fall special, as well as lavender buttercream. It’s evident that these recipes are tested and have been perfected by pastry chef Gord and master gardener Leah (she uses Cont’d on the next page

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The Buzz her edible flowers in many of the designs). “Cupcakes on your doorstep” is a weekly delivery service they offer, as well cakes for every occasion. Tofino Cake Studio treats are also available at Green Soul Organics and at the Tofino Public Market, which runs every summer weekend. Ask about gluten free and vegan options. www.tofinocakestudio.com Shelter Restaurant is making the most out of storm season with their Epicurious Series. This around-the-world dinner series started Nov. 11 and runs until February 10.

Starting with Mexico and ending with India, Shelter is exploring the cuisines of the world. The team welcomed Chef Peter Zambri (Zambri's in Victoria) for Italian night Nov. 25. Moroccan night took place in December, and January brings both Thailand (Jan. 10) and Greece (Jan. 24) to Tofino. Indian night takes place Feb. 10. To reserve and to find out more, visit www.shelterrestaurant.com or facebook.com/shelterrestaurant. Thanks are due to Long Beach Lodge Resort for opening its doors Dec. 2 for a festive fundraiser for a local non-profit organization. The Raincoast Education Society benefitted from the ticket proceeds of the Lodge’s annual open house event.Locals were invited to sample canapés and various specialty foods– including sushi and oysters - at many stations set up around the Great Room. With room specials and free shuttle service, this event is a always a great community celebration. www.longbeachlodge.com The Wickaninnish Inn's Pointe Restaurant Chef Nick Nutting participated in the Gold Medal Plates competition in Vancouver in November. The event is a fundraiser for the Canadian Olympic Foundation. At the event, guests had the chance to mingle with 25 Olympians while enjoyed the culinary feats of some of British Columbia’s best chefs. The gold medal went to Mark Filatow of the Waterfront Restaurant and Wine Bar in Kelowna. In more news from the Wickaninnish Inn, the Pointe Restaurant now carries the Ocean Wise certification. While sustainable seafood was always on the menu, it's now official: "Becoming a member of the Ocean Wise family means actively supporting the Vancouver Aquarium in their mandate to educate and empower consumers about the issues surrounding sustainable seafood," states the website. www.wickinn.com If you’re planning a storm season visit to the coast, be sure to phone ahead to your favourite restaurants, as many temporarily close their doors in January. Most are ready to go again for Valentine’s Day. —Jen Dart Cont’d on the next page

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE.

GIVE THE GIFT OF GOOD TASTE. Gift certificates for The Pointe Restaurant at The Wickaninnish Inn. They’re in superb taste and offer memories that last a lifetime.

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The Buzz

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Butcher ... A Cut Above Quality meats, Poultry, Cheeses, Specialty Products & Condiments

2577 Cadboro Bay Road,VICTORIA

592-0823

TAKE A BITE OUT OF VALENTINE’S DAY From Feb 1-14 the EAT guide to good eating

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EAT MAGAZINE JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013

COWICHAN VALLEY: A very tasty trend has taken over one of Duncan’s downtown neighborhoods: charming older homes being converted into restaurants. Ladysmith’s beloved Indian restaurant, The Royal Dar, delighted Duncan patrons by relocating to Third Street last summer (www.royaldar.ca) 250597-1483. Then in November, Hudson’s on First opened on First Street. Hudson’s offers a beautifully renovated heritage home interior and a fine dining menu that showcases local ingredients with British and French influences. The intimate décor and Chef Dan Hudson’s exquisite food make this a perfect place to take your Valentine on February 14th. Be sure to also check out their “steampunk” inspired lounge for after-work drinks and lighter fare (www.hudsonsonfirst.ca) 250- 597-0066.

Tin Cup Coffee & Espresso Bar has opened on Canada Avenue. Owners Kuldip and Nadine Badyal have done a spectacular job renovating the former Dayley Planet premises into a beautiful café that is perfect for enjoying a warm cup of your favourite brew on a cold winter day. Not only does the Tin Cup boast Drumroaster Coffee and Teafarm teas, Nadine will also be offering interior design services out of a corner of the shop. (www.tincupespresso.com) 250-597-3738.

Friday, January 25th is Robbie Burns Day, and Birds Eye Cove Farm is the perfect place to celebrate the beloved Scottish Poet. This “Ode to Robbie” pub style celebration will feature Celtic music, dancing, and some Scottish style fare- local artisan meats and cheeses and of course, Haggis! Another great upcoming event at “the farm” is the start of their Secret Supper Club series, where an unknown mystery chef will prepare an incredible meal for the group without revealing their identity until end of the evening.

Thursday, February 14th, providing a fun idea for your Valentine’s Day dinner plans (www.birdseyecovefarm.com) 250-748-6379.

The winter blues can sneak up on you at this time of year, but chef Bill Jones has just the cure. On February 16th Jones will hold a “Happiness Dinner” at Deerholme Farm, featuring foods that boost serotonin levels. With a menu that includes BigLeaf maple syrup, truffles, oysters, crab, and chocolate, it’s hard to imagine anyone leaving this event in a bad mood (www.deerholme.com) 250-748-7450.

What could be a more iconic Canadian winter pastime than harvesting maple syrup? This year’s annual BigLeaf Maple Syrup Festival will take place February 2nd, at the BC Forest Discovery Centre.

There will be syrup competitions, tastings, tapping demonstrations, and vendors offering syrup and maple themed food and drink. (www.bcforestmuseum.com) 250- 715-1113.

Don’t forget to save the date for the upcoming Cowichan Chef’s Table MS Dinner on March 10th.

A collection of the Valley’s most talented and generous chefs will be coming together to create an elaborate multi-course feast complete with local wine pairings, all for a great cause! Tickets are $125, and tend to sell out early. Contact Anne Muir of the MS Society for more details (anne.muir@mssociety.ca) 250-748-7010. —Lindsay Muir NANAIMO & UP ISLAND: The first thing that I saw as I parked in front of Morning Star Bison Ranch just south of Nanaimo, were beautiful piercing eyes belonging to two golden eagles in an atrium beside the porch. They didn’t take their gaze off of me until Bob, or Buffalo Bob as he is know around here, pulled up in a big beefy pickup truck with his two boarder collies riding shotgun. Bob raises his buffalo for meat, lucky for us! Lovingly and carefully forming this herd of Plains Buffalo and raising them 100% naturally on his 250 acre ranch. He doesn’t believe in middleman, so every other week he drives all over this island delivering orders to real people. These buffalo graze and feed on grass and hay harvested on the ranch and enjoy stress free lives before they reach our table providing a high protein, low fat, low cholesterol alternative to beef with a larger than life, beefy yet not at all gamey flavour. If every farmer we know were as responsible and knowledgeable in raising their meat animals as Bob, our island would be a better place. Check out Morning Stars’ web site at: www.m-star.ca Mid February here normally brings the scent of green grass being cut for the first time, so bust out of hibernation and head to Parksville for an Uncorked weekend of sophisticated food and wine tasting.

Thursday February 21st starts the 4 day festival off with an evening of regional brews paired with regional foods, followed on Friday with The Beach Club Resort Swirl signature event. Two Winemakers Dinners featuring the wines of Burrowing Owl and Road 13 highlight Saturday night, followed with Bubbles & Brunch on Sunday to complete the line up at Tigh Na Mara Resort. Don’t miss out on your share of the grape, use the online reservation system at: www.parksvilleuncorked.com or call: 855-254-wine.

Indulge in decadent guilt free chocolate after enjoying an hour of leisurely snowshoeing in fluffy soft powder up on our very own Mt Washington in the Comox Valley. The 3-course fondue dinner in the cozy mountain side Raven Chalet fires up with silky melted cheese as you relax into the après atmosphere and prepare for the generous meat and seafood dunk and dine. Finally, finally the chocolate you earned, savoured at the end. These excursions are offered each Friday and Saturday evening and are definitely a post holiday treat to your senses. www.mountwashington.ca Downtown Courtney is the lucky benefactor of that warm fresh-out-of-the-oven baked bread smell originating from Bill Marler’s new Vassilis’ Bread Shop, formerly of Denman Island fame. Follow your nose into the yeasty kitchen and pick up a lovely homemade sprouted grain loaf baked daily and walk out without a gooey cinnamon bun or Greek sesame ring if you can! Order up one of their unique take & bake pizzas to go, with your personalized ingredients built from scratch on its own baking sheet ready to pop in your oven. 556 5th St Courtney B.C 250-871-0880 —Kirsten Tyler

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First Look: Fry’s Bakery

Elizabeth Nyland

Byron Fry standing in front of Fry's Bread storefront

W

hile waiting for the flour that has made its way onto his apron to be dusted off, and watching the enjoyment of a fresh pretzel being eaten for breakfast, it is clear that Byron Fry is living and breathing his new bakery.

The small shop that opened its doors less than three weeks ago has a warm presence to it. With clean white walls, an open concept wood-fire oven, and rustic wood shelving surrounded by autumn coloured flowers, Fry’s Bakery is reminiscent of a corner shop one would find in a farming community of years past. The smell of fresh bread and croissants coupled with the ease at which customers are greeted, add to the overall inviting atmosphere of this new Victorian, soon to be, staple.

Byron Fry, the man behind the bakery has had his hands deep in dough for over four years.

Despite being part of a long line of bakers on both sides of his family, it wasn’t until after beginning to bake that Fry learnt of his great, great grandfather’s Victorian Bakery Fry’s Bakery, which was located across the street from his new shop.

Although primarily self-taught, through learning curves and burnt loaves, Fry bounced around different bakeries learning the production side of baking. However, Fry ultimately realized that working for places that did not produce his desired quality of bread, was not what he had set out to accomplish.

Through the generosity of his parents, who let him bake out of the bottom of their Metchosin home, Fry began to create bread that was rich in organic grains and heirloom wheat. Since relocating to a store with more space, his repertoire of baked goods now includes croissants, local lamb sausage rolls and pretzels, alongside Cowichan Pasta, free range Metchosin and Saanich eggs, and of course new types of bread.

Today, the daily baked loaves include styles such

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as those with 100% rye, flax-rye and sesame seeds, honey, raisins and cinnamon, and of course their two staples: Pain Rustique (30% wholegrain) and Whole Wheat Country (Red Fife, rye, wholemeal).

A loaf sells for ten dollars, as Fry has baked the bread with the consideration of those customers that want to purchase a loaf or two a week.

Since Fry has committed to using high quality ingredients that are utilized in a traditional style of extended fermentation, the gluten is more readily broken down compared to more conventional baking operations. In large grocery stores where the mass production of bread sees great amounts of yeast used to increase rising times, the gluten and nutrients often become indigestible.

With gluten sensitivities now more common in society, Fry’s bread is an option for the carbohydrate lover that resides in most of us. He explains how his bakery has quickly gained a reputation as gluten-free, despite having never baked anything that lives up to the description. This misunderstood concept lays in the fact that many people, aside from those with celiac disease, do not feel the common sickness in their stomachs that is oft times associated with supermarket breads.

The ambitions of Byron Fry for his new bakery are simple, “ have consistent value, a really good quality product and make it comfortable for the people that come by.” The relationship with the immediate community is what Fry hopes to first develop. Eventually he aspires to have his bakery become a destination spot for Victorians who live further away yet can still appreciate high quality baking from a local business. At this point, Fry’s Bakery is in the process of learning what it is the locals need from them, and how they can bake the bread that they want.

BY MORGAN K. STERNS Fry’s Bakery 416 Craigflower Road, Victoria, BC (hours) Tuesday – Saturday: 8:30am – 5:30pm www.frysbakery.com

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What the Pros Know – compiled by Rebecca Baugniet

1715 Government Street 250.475.6260 www.lecole.ca eat@lecole.ca

Barista Talk

Dinner 5:30 - 11 pm Tuesday to Saturday

For this issue, we asked local roasters and baristas to tell us what their personal favourite bean is these days.

Here’s what the pros are drinking at home.

Colin Hynes

left: Ben Cram at the Parsonage Cafe

“The coffee that I'm most excited about right now is a natural process Beloya from Ethiopia. This coffee is exceptional and unique in its flavour profile but it's also special because it has been very hard to get for the last few years due to changes in the Ethiopian coffee market. We have tasted and approved the landed samples and are now anxiously awaiting its arrival to our facility.”

- Ben Cram, Fernwood Coffee (250) 590-3320 “Although a latecomer to the scene, Bolivia has all the ingredients to produce a great coffee: altitude, climate, good varieties, and a tradition of organic farming. These are complex, rich coffees, the classic clean cup, and aromatically sweet. They also have subtle fruit flavours, like apricot and lemon. I take our Bolivian beans to a Full City roast, between medium and dark, where they develop roast flavours like malt, milk chocolate, and caramel. Pair with one of Byron Fry’s pain au chocolat or a slice of Lone Tree Bakery’s banana bread, and thank me later.”

- Ken Winchester, Mile Zero Coffee at Niagara Grocery (250) 383-1223 “Several years ago I had the privilege to work with some quality-driven coffee farmers in Kenya. Nyeri, a region in the Central Highlands was a particularly special place for me. The care and attention that we witnessed starting to take hold there was what our mission was all about. Quality coffee at every step from seed to cup. Currently we are offering an amazing coffee from Gatomboya that was shipped in vacuum-packed bags to ensure freshness.

It’s a sweet and juicy coffee that immediately demands your palate’s attention. It is truly remarkable and makes me smile remembering all that has gone into making this coffee so great.”

- Shane Devereaux, Habit (250) 294-1127

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Tuesday to Tuesday to Thursday Thursday lun ch: 11 :30am ttoo 2p m lunch: 11:30am 2pm di nner: 5pm ttoo 9p m dinner: 9pm FFriday riday & Saturday Saturdayy 11: 30am to 10pm 11:30am

“We have lots of great coffees at Discovery right now. One that is really standing out for me at the moment is a single bean varietal called Pacamara from El Salvador. It is an extraordinarily beautiful and large coffee bean with flavor notes of black cherry and plum. This coffee comes from a farm owned by the Valiente family and managed by Luis Rodrigues, together they grow and process this coffee to emphasize its naturally sweet and fruity flavours.

I find it to be extremely versatile and have enjoyed it in many brew methods. Recently I have been brewing it as a pour-over using a V-60 #2 ceramic cone with a paper filter.”

- Logan Gray, Discovery Coffee (250) 477-2323 “My favourite coffee right now is a coffee that I sourced last May and it's from Guatemala. The producer's name is Octavio Herrara and his farm, in the Huehuetenango region, is called Finca La Esperanza. La Esperanza is delicious as a filter drip, French press, and single-origin espresso. It's got beautiful notes of ripe red fruit, apricot and almonds. As it cools, the cup evolves, allowing different nuances to emerge sip after sip.”

- Carsen Oglend, Drumroaster Coffee (250) 743-5200 “As we settle into the cooler months, there is no coffee which brings a smile to my face quite like the Sumatra Mandheling. Originating on Sumatra, the largest island in Indonesia, it takes the second half of its name from the Madailing people, who live and produce coffee on the northern part of the island. Versatility is what makes this bean really shine; whether it's first thing in the morning, or late in the afternoon, the bold presence and heavy body of this coffee, along with the subtle spiciness and sweetness are just what I need for calm and comfort.”

- Alan Ray Tatro, Caffe Fantastico 250.385.2326 “For the last little while my home hopper has been full of the Guatemala Finca Jauja. It is a delightfully versatile coffee, offering subtle raisin and dark, warm chocolate in the cup. I was fortunate enough to meet the owner of the plantation where this coffee is grown last year at the SCAA convention in Portland. We Fantasticats liked this offering so much we bought up the lot!

The Jauja is delicious as a pour over or press and sweetens beautifully as it begins to cool. My wife swears it makes the best cafe au laits.”

- Jesse Owens, Tre Fantastico 250.590.8014

pph. h. 250.592.7424 250.592.7424

25 2524 24 eestevan stevan aave. ve. | pa padellaitalianbistro.com dellaitalianbistro.com | iinfo@padellaitalianbistro.com nfo@padellaitalianbistro.com

THERE’S always SOMETHING BREWING AT SILK ROAD Looking for tips on tea & food pairing or how to brew the perfect pot of tea?

Need some fabulous tea mocktail or cocktail recipes? Visit our new online magazine at silkroadtea.com - your ultimate resource for tea recipe ideas.

SilkRoadVictoria

@silkroadtea

1624 Government St. Victoria Chinatown silkroadtea.com

“My first mind blowing coffee experience was a cup from Yirgacheffe almost 15 years ago. This was the beginning of my love for specialty coffee. In recent years however, it has been increasingly difficult to find high quality, traceable Ethiopian coffee largely due to the new Ethiopian commodities exchange.I was thrilled when I recently acquired a micro-lot by a man named Zelele. His remarkable coffee exemplifies the qualites of this famous region: Sweet floral, citrus, and berry aromas. Predominant ripe lemon and stone fruit flavors with deep exotic spice and jasmine undertones. Delicate yet softly bright acidity with a lightly syrupy mouthfeel and a rich resonant finish.”

- Derek Allen, Caffe Fantastico 250.385.2326

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