What does a Vancouver progressive dinner look like?
2 Comments
Karen Hamilton
September 25, 2009
The closest I’ve gotten to experience a progressive restaurant dinner was the Phantom Culinary Experience at the 2009 Culinary Tourism Conference. Our breakout group had jumped on a chartered Vancouver Trolley to explore 5 different venues around Granville Island, sipping and snacking on the edibles available at each.
As much fun as that was, I am nowhere near as fortunate or generous as Victor (Pick) Tang, who this July won our Top Donor challenge during Blogathon 2009. His $180 individual donation was rewarded with a 3-restaurant progressive dinner with Top Table.
Name doesn’t ring a bell? They’re the group that operates Blue Water Cafe, CinCin, West, and Whistler’s Araxi (which impressed chef Gordon Ramsay enough to sing its praises on The Hour and make it the focal point of this season’s Hell’s Kitchen).
I asked Victor to let me know how his dinner went. He went a step further and took Gigi as his +1. You may already know Gigi; she’s a Vancouver food blogger and the woman behind Ho Yummy. This week, she and Victor shared the highlights of their evening over a series of three posts.
- Top Table Progressive Dinner Part 1 – Blue Water Cafe
- Top Table Progressive Dinner Part 2 – West
- Top Table Progressive Dinner Part 3 – CinCin Ristorante + Bar
Check out her recaps and photos and drool along with me.
Categories: Blogathon 2009, Culinary Resources, Downtown, Events, Food, Restaurants, South Granville, Yaletown
A closer look at the Tiny Bites grand prizes
1 Comment Karen HamiltonAugust 5, 2009
I know my descriptions of the Tiny Bites Top Donor and Grand Prize were a little slim, so in light of last-minute sponsorships and the fact that I had all the prizes sitting here in front of me, here’s a closer look at what Blogathon 2009 donors and prize winners Victor Tang and Jason Lau have to look forward to.
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.
Categories: Blogathon 2009, Blogging for Social Change, Downtown, False Creek, Food, Food Purveyors, Granville Island, Restaurants, South Granville, West Vancouver, Yaletown
An anthology of the 2009 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival
3 Comments Karen HamiltonMarch 25, 2009
Wednesday is my breather from the frenzy of the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. I’ll be back in the scene in some way, shape, or form on Thursday and Friday. Till then, please enjoy this collection of Wine Fest recaps from the official and alternative presses, which I will continue to update as new stuff comes in.
From the wire
Reports from TV, radio, mags, and rags:
- Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is just around the corner (Anthony Gismondi, The Vancouver Sun)
- BC wines face homecoming test (Alexandra Gill, The Globe and Mail)
- Good Eats: B.C. wines take centre stage at Vancouver Playhouse Int. Wine Festival (Bruce Stephen, North Shore Outlook)
- Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival Launches (Anya Levykh, Metro Vancouver)
- Reality Check in Vancouver (Peter Mitham, Wines & Vines)
- Playhouse Wine Fest Cheat Sheet (David Scholefield, Vancouver Magazine)
From the blogosphere
What bloggers and online publications have been saying:
- How to Survive the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival 2009 (The Blog According to Buzz)
- International Wine Fest 2009: live coverage of BC wines at Earls and West (Tiny Bites)
- Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival – Day 1 (Wine Bard)
- Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival Begins! (Full-Bodied)
- Winefest Blog #269: The 1st Day In The Big Shoes Of Sid Cross (Scout Magazine)
- WineFest Blog #628: Dinner At Bishop’s And 17 Again At Boneta (Scout Magazine)
- Wine Festival Kick Off (Urban Diner)
- Joy in a Glass (Urban Diner)
- The 2009 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival Kicks Off (Vinifico)
- WineFest Blog #270: Heidi Noble As Globe & Mail “Flashpoint” (Scout Magazine)
- International Wine Fest 2009: live coverage of Caymus Vineyards at CinCin (Tiny Bites)
- WineFest Blog #271: Sid Cross Shares His CinCin Tasting Notes (Scout Magazine)
- 2009 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival – Brunello, Barolo and Beyond… event (Vinifico)
- WineFest Blog #272: 2 Wines And 20 Vintages With Sid Cross (Scout Magazine)
- WineFest Blog #273: The Trade Tasting & Mike Bernardo’s Shoe (Scout Magazine, with a gallery containing my photography)
- CedarCreek Winemaker Dinner at Bishops (City Food Magazine)
- Make Wine She Said: Divas at the Met (City Food Magazine)
- New Wines to Try at the Festival: Pink Elephant Sparkling (City Food Magazine)
- Vancouver WineFest Thursday Trade Tasting Report (Full-Bodied)
- Andrea Vescovi Named Sommelier of the Year (Urban Diner)
- Caymus Wine Dinner At Cincin (Urban Diner)
- 2009 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival – Beringer Private Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical Tasting (Vinifico)
- 2009 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival – Wine folks talk about their wines and the value of social media (Vinifico)
- WineFest Blog #274: Spit Bucket Barricades & Fashionistas (Scout Magazine)
- *News Flash* 2010 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival (Wine Bard)
- WineFest Blog #295: Five Days And Nights & Still Going Strong (Scout Magazine)
- Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival – Summary (Wine Bard)
From the Twitterverse
Trying out yet more fun tech. Below is a feed of the most recent Twitter musings that have been tagged by the official hashtag of the event, #vpiwf.
If you’d like to see the full collection of #vpiwf commentary, you can look it up on Twemes, which has the added benefit of showing you all Flickr photos (like mine) tagged with vpiwf.
Update: Wine Fest personalities on Twitter
Would you like to know which participating wineries to follow after the Wine Fest winds down? Here’s a list to start you off.
- @township7 – Township 7, BC
- @blackcloudwine – Black Cloud Wine, BC
- @dfwinery – Dunham & Froese, BC
- @stoneboat – Stoneboat Vineyards, BC
- @road13vineyards – Road 13 Vineyards, BC
- @prospectwinery – Prospect Winery, BC
- @tinhorncreek – Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, BC
- @sokolblosser – Sokol Blosser Winery, Oregon
I had a heck of a time finding many participants on Twitter from outside of BC, although there are at least 60 wineries on Twitter from around the world. Please help me flag down any wineries that you follow that were represented at this year’s Wine Fest.
Share Wine Fest news with me
Help me add to this Wine Fest round-up by dropping a comment with related articles on the interwebs.
Festival Gallery
Here is my share of visual documentation of this week’s festivities. Click on a thumbnail and use the Prev and Next buttons to navigate through the rest.
Categories: Downtown, Events, Food, Gastown, Kitsilano, Restaurants, South Granville, Wine
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