Ocean Wise is a Vancouver Aquarium conservation program that identifies sustainable seafood choices for restaurants and suppliers and makes it easy for diners and consumers to make ethical choices. Just look for the Ocean Wise icon on menus. They’ve been at it for 5 years without any funding (the Vancouver Aquarium is footing the bill) and have gotten almost 300 partners onto the program in that time. This year they also achieved national reach accross Canada.

Our dinearound started at the aquarium where we raised a glass to all that they’ve accomplished before being whisked away to surprise dinner destinations dependent on the colour of pre-assigned ribbons.

Like a bus full of kids on a field trip we shouted out possibilities each time the bus turned a corner: “Nook! L’Altro Buca!” as we spun through the West End, then “Grouse Mountain!” as we headed over the Lion’s Gate bridge. When we stopped in front of the Edge Bistro (3135 Edgemont Blvd.) in Edgemont Village, we all discovered a delightful locale new to all of us.

The Edge

At the Edge we had plump BC mussels in a coconut curry broth followed by a decadent pecan-encrusted salmon stuffed with shrimp and Dungeness crab. Chef Robert Clark of C Restaurant was dining with our group and explained that BC mussels have a much higher meat-to-shell ratio than PEI mussels – a helpful fact we lamented as we became more and more full over the course of the evening. We washed these dishes down with a Pacific Breeze chardonnay from New Westminister and their smoky, spicy Killer Cab then it was back on the bus to head to stop #2.

Hotel Vancouver

We were more familiar with this property but no less surprised when the bus pulled up in front of the Hotel Vancouver. Here we were seated at the back bar of Griffins and served gorgeously plated bites starting with the beet-cured salmon crêpe pictured above, paired with the fresh apple Nk’Mip Riesling. Next was a mini niçoise salad with quail egg, caviar, green bean, tuna sashimi and olive tapenade. Paired with the Quail’s Gate gewürztraminer, this dish was fresh and clever and perfectly executed.

As for hot dishes, there was a smoked sablefish with crisp pancetta and greens accompanied by a Hugues le Juste pinot noir and a seared Arctic char on apple beignet with Granville Island Lager foam and apple-sherry vinegar reduction.

A custom cocktail from the bar, “The Torch” (red pepper, grapefruit, and ruby vodka) finished it all off nicely.

C Restaurant

But no, we weren’t done yet: there was still the finale at C Restaurant. As Chef Robert Clark didn’t like the idea of being the first guests to the party, we nipped into Nu for a cocktail from the carousel bar.

At C, we had another taste of Ocean Wise seafood in the form of a huge Baynes Sound (Denman Island) scallop and Denman Island herring with various forms of pea shoots. The wine for this dish was a beautiful 1998 Selbach-Oster, Reisling, Zeltinger Sonnenuhr that was just the right acidity to balance the oil of the fish.

And then finally – finally! – it was time for dessert – Salt Spring Island Goat Cheese and Vanilla Mousse with stone fruit preserved and spiced liquid marshmallow. It was a not overly sweet dessert which allowed for a pairing of not one but two dessert wines; Forbidden Fruit’s “iced apple dessert wine” and Vista d’oro‘s delicious fortified port style wine with walnut brandy. It was a sweet end to an entirely sweet evening.

Finishing up there was time to thank our gracious hosts and congratulate them again on making Ocean Wise what it is today. We also had an opportunity to compare notes with the other buses and their dining experiences. In addition to the restaurants listed here, Aria, Burrard Bridge Marine Bar and Grill, the District, Fraiche, Revel Room, Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company, Tapenade Bistro, and Zen participated. It was great to see the range of restaurants with sustainable Ocean Wise choices available, from high end hotels to casual neighbourhood spots. Check out the complete list of restaurants and partners and show your support.

First, an update: Andrea came through with a $134.99 post-Blogathon donation to push our collection to an even $2500. We made our revised fundraising goal – hooray!

The Tiny Bites Top Donor Prize

For donating a cool $180 to be this year’s top individual donor, Victor won a unique progressive dinner experience for 2 at the Vancouver restaurants of the Top Table family. Here’s what he and his +1 might experience that night:

Amuses bouches and appetizers at Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar

Mains and more at West

Dessert and petit fours at CinCin

I am green with envy that Victor gets to sample these stellar restaurants in a single evening of chef collaboration. I hope he is willing to indulge us all in a recap of his dinner with Top Table. Having recently crafted a fantasy progressive dinner for Tourism Vancouver, I’d certainly be curious to see how a real progressive dinner plays out.

The Tiny Bites Grand Prize

Our Gold, Silver, and Bronze sponsors have contributed to this amazing prize package worth $450 $500. Jason, you’re a lucky son of a gun.

Alpha Global Sushi & Bar: bottle of Dan Dan shochu

My favourite izakaya called shortly after Blogathon to belatedly confirm their contribution to the Tiny Bites Grand Prize. I’ve discussed their bar menu in last year’s Blogathon and am so pleased that they were able to participate as a sponsor this year. 

Artisan Sakemaker: bottles of Osake junmai nama and Artisan Kasu products

I had the privilege of trying local sakemaker Masa Shiroki’s new line of sakekasu a few months past. If you’re not already a fan of Artisan Sakemaker’s sake, perhaps the new citrus dressing and hot sauce – along with Masa’s suggested recipes - will give you cause to try them this year.

ChristaHoops: custom-fit rainbow hoop

ChristaHoops will custom fit Jason (or his friend of choice) with a beautiful rainbow hoop. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it – it’s a fun and energetic workout!

Farmstead Wines: bottle of Renato Fenocchio extra virgin olive oil

You may have already tried the beautiful artisan wines that Farmstead Wines imports to our fair city…but have you tried Renato Fenocchio’s exquisite olive oil yet?

Qoola Yogurt + Fruit: $100 gift card for Qoola 

This gift card is the equivalent of 20 Qoolalas with 2 toppings or however else you’d like to spend the $100 credit. If you get addicted like I have, it can be reloaded to continue enjoying Qoola till your tummy is done with frozen yogurt.

Rouxbe: 1 year premium membership to Rouxbe’s Online Cooking School

Jason is already a loyal Rouxbe Lifetime member ($199) so he asked me to raffle away the $99 Annual Membership that was in his Grand Prize package (which George F. wound up winning).

Sebastian & Co: $35 butcher shop credit

Jason met me in West Vancouver to pick up 6 different types of artisan sausage plus a smoked applewood cheddar with his Sebastian & Co store credit. I think I’ll be inviting myself over to his house for dinner soon…

Social Bites: 10% off discount passes to future Social Bites dinner excursions

I’ve already said my piece about how fun Social Bites is, both as dinner guest and Hobby Chef. Jason has yet to experience it in either capacity so I hope he takes this opportunity to do so.

Tiny Bites Consulting: Winnipeg Folk Fest cookies

These are the cookies I had with me at The Workspace for fellow Blogathoners to satiate hunger pangs at 3am. Chock full of flax, oats, sunflower seeds, coconut with a little chocolate chip and brown sugar thrown in. Here’s the recipe.

Uva Wine Bar: bottle of 2006 Speri Valipolicella Ripasso

Below are Uva General Manager and sommelier Sebastien Le Goff’s tasting notes on this Venetian wine:

Rich, spicy, black cherry, brooding.

Intense, elegant style, pure and persistent. Fine acidity, balanced. Good length. Drink from 2010.

Speri uses only grapes from the Valpolicella zone to make its wines. In addition to the three traditional grape varieties, Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara, small quantities of other lesser known but long-standing varieties are used like Oseleta, Rossanella, Pelara, and Cabrosina.

The Corvina is considered the most important vine variety due to its tannin content and pigments. It imparts fruity aromas, particularly when it is cultivated on the hills. 

The Rondinella is able to adapt to many types of terrain, to withstand drought and lends itself quite well to drying. It is vigorous and very prolific.
The Molinara is mainly used for the distinctive flavour and crispness it gives the wine.

Bigger than a Valpolicella but smaller than an Amarone, the ’06 Speri “ripasso” has been re-fermented over the spent skins of Amarone. There’s a floral earthy scorched earth nose with bits of red fruit and spice and a warm, acidic, alcoholic finish. Best with a piece of Reggiano or Manchego cheese. The fruit comes off family-owned sites in the heart of Valpolicella Classico.

Why am I taunting those of you aren’t getting these prizes? Because I hope that you realize that Tiny Bites will be participating in Blogathon next year, and we certainly plan on rewarding you with prizes like these in 2010!

So mark your calendars and earmark some of your dollars for the last weekend of July for Blogathon 2010.

I count myself lucky to have been asked to come as my love affair with blueberries has already been well documented. Having blueberry advocates sell me on the benefits of eating what I consider to be one of my favourite summer treats seemed fairly redundant, but I wasn’t about to pass up a night of blueberry education and a chance to dine again at Nu.

It’s good that I went, because we learned some surprising facts about this fruit and its relationship with British Columbia:

• Commercial blueberry production in BC started about 100 years ago on the peaty soils of Richmond and Pitt Meadows. Today, we boast 18,000 acres of blueberry farmland that produces approximately 90 million lbs of the fruit each season.
• Our province is one of the largest grower of blueberries in the world, second only to the sales and production of Michigan state.
• Commerical restaurants and bakers order specialized varieties of blueberry from processors. Apparently, certain strains are better for baking, and what you see at the grocery store is better for eating fresh. No wonder I could never truly replicate the blueberry pie at Savary Island!
• BC farms grow several types of blueberries in the summer in order to have 3 production cycles (early, mid, and late summer crops) between July and late August. 
• The blueberry industry employs over 10,000 people in the province at the height of the growing season.

All of this was news to me. When I think of the bounty of BC, I think salmon, wine, spot prawns, and corn. Berries were something I always knew to be present in our summer crops, but never did I imagine that they represented such a hefty part of our regional economy.

But let’s get back to the food that I came across throughout the night.

Martini with Tanqueray, Earl Grey infused vodka, lillet, and blueberry puree.

Lemonade with muddled blueberries – the interaction of the fruit with acid results in the brilliant scarlet hue of these drinks.

Blueberry, watercress, and arugula sald with toasted walnuts, cucumber, and green apple.

I wasn’t in the mood for the bison or the marinated flat iron steak, both of which are presented with either a berry sauce or a blueberry jus. I opted for a crimini and oyster fricasée for my main. If I were you, I’d go to Nu this summer to try the blueberry mains.

Blueberry layer cake with macaron and blueberry compote, accompanied by a shot of blueberry froth. No acid in the froth, so it retained its periwinkle colour.

Have I made you crave blueberries now? Here are a few links to help you get a fix this week.

• Go to UBC between 9am – 1pm today, Wednesday, and Thursday. The first annual Blueberry Festival is on – indulge in blueberry pancakes or buy baked treats before the Fest ends on the 30th.
• Visit your favourite U-Pick farm and stain your hands harvesting ‘em. I recommend Driediger Farms or Krause Berry Farms, both of which I wrote about in my Circle Farm Tour of Langley.
• Save some of your blueberry catch by freezing or canning them for later.
• Try your hand at making these blueberry streusel muffins that we love to bake at this time of year.
• If you prefer banana bread, spice it up with blueberries!
• Browse through all the other things you can cook with blueberries on the BC Blueberry Council website.

Have a very berry week, everyone!