A primer on Argentinean wine

Let’s start with some basic Spanish-to-English terminology:

• vino = wine
• bodega = winery
• viñedo = vineyard
• salud = cheers
• uno mas, por favor = one more, please

The above, plus charades, got me through three weeks in Argentina!

In terms of vino, Argentina is mainly known for its Malbec. This grape has its roots as one of the handful of kosher varietals allowed in a Bordeaux wine blend. The most popular Bordeaux blends these days, however, do not contain this grape at all, mixing Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot instead. It’s said that the Malbec grape was so maligned and unsuited to the wet and cold French climate that it earned the lesser name of côt. I’m told that it’s not an endearing name, but all wine varietals sound Greek to me when I first hear them.

It wasn’t until the late 19th century, when Malbec was planted in Argentina – where the scorching sun shines over 300 days a year – that the grape finally came into its own. And now, if you believe the marketing hype of my tour guide, Malbec is one of the hottest crazes in wine. In other words, the story of Malbec is the story of a poor French immigrant achieving the great (South) American Dream!

A lesser known wine varietal equally coupled with Argentina is Torrontés (Torontel). You may have had a more intimate experience with it in the form of Chilean Pisco. Crisp, floral, and fruity, this was our white wine of choice in our travels. Perhaps “choice” is the wrong word, as it was rather insisted upon us whenever we asked for a white wine recommendation.

Argentina’s Mendoza region is known for its Malbec, while the best Torrontés are said to come from Salta. While we didn’t get a chance to visit the latter, we did make it to Mendoza, visiting a couple wineries between taking mid-day siestas, feasting at parrillas (grill houses), and discovering surprisingly good Italian food (a tale for another day).

The two wineries we visited were Vistandes and Don Artuo, both located in the Maipú sub-region. Here, glacial waters from the Andes, high altitudes, and large day/night temperature swings lead to successful vineyards. The temperature swings, called thermal amplitude, makes the grapes constantly expand and contract, drawing in and concentrating the flavours and nuances of the terroir.

Personally, whenever “terroir” is brought up during a wine tasting, I have a tendency to disguise the rolling of my eyes with a swivel of the wrist, a sniff of the glass, and a murmur that “mmm, yes, the yeast is quite expressive”. While I would never claim to have nearly as nuanced wine-buds as the rest of Team Tiny Bites, I’ve learned long ago to never pick a fight with a sommelier.

Bodega Vistandes

Vistandes is a boutique winery located in the Cruz de Piedra sub-region of Maipú in Mendoza, Argentina. While the owners have been selling grapes to other wineries for years, they only recently set up their own in 2006, giving them a modern winery with access to older vines. The winery’s entry hall doubles as a music hall. Unfortunately nobody was playing when we were there mid-day, which in retrospect was a bit of a tease since we do appreciate the Tango.

Known mostly for their Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, this winery likes to combine grapes from both their two vineyards, one in Mendoza and one in the Famatina Valley of La Rioja. The claim is to a more sophisticated flavour profile.

We tried their Malbec, Cab Sauv, and Torrontés, with part of the group giving top marks to the Cab Sauv and the other half of the group liking the Torrontés best.

Bodega Vistandes
Ruta 60 y Carril Urquiza, Cruz de Piedra | Maipú, Mendoza
+54 261 5246213 / 5246214

Bodega Don Arturo

Another boutique winery in Mendoza, Don Arturo has been family run for the past eighty years. Our guide proudly pointed out the weeds in between the vines as proof that no chemicals or pesticides are ever used on the dirt. Heaven forbid that chemicals penetrate the terroir! Mmm, yes, the yeast is quite expressive… sorry, force of habit.

To further stress their focus on using and accepting the character of the land, the irrigation for the vineyards and the coolant system that keeps the vats at the right temperature uses glacial waters siphoned from the nearby Mendoza River. These systems were engineered to be driven by the force of gravity, with powered pumps turned on only when necessary.

Again, being based in Mendoza, Don Arturo specializes in reds, but with more blends rather than pure varietals.

Bodega Cavas de Don Arturo
Franklin Villanueva 2233, Lunlunta | Maipú, Mendoza
+54 261 154538854 / 154540843

Afterword

Unfortunately, neither of these two wineries will have a presence at this year’s Vancouver Wine Festival. Although glancing through the participating wineries list, I do see a few wineries that I have had good experiences with:

• Doña Paula – Malbec
• Familia Zuccardi – Torrontés (Santa Julia brand)
• Finca Flichman – especially their Malbec 2007
• Norton – Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (Perdriel brand)
• Masi Agricola – Granderella

That last one isn’t Argentinean, but I am so enamoured with their Granderella it that I can’t help but include it on the list!

The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival runs Monday April 19th through Sunday April 25th. Tickets and more information are available at their website. We’ll be around, and remember to say salud if you see us!

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival
April 19 – 25, 2010
Multiple venues | Vancouver

This is the third post in a three-part travel series called Bruce eats New York, where Tiny Bites contributor Bruce Nguyen chronicles his ‘New York virgin’ dining experiences during the summer of 2009.

1. Fried chicken overload at Momofuku Noodle Bar
2. Republic and Viet-Cafe in a Vietnamese showdown! (Pho-down?)
3. From cheesecake to yogurt and everything in between

New York is home to some of the most upscale restaurants in the world but it can also be done on a budget. After all, the foods that bear the city’s name include the bagel, the pizza, and the cheesecake. Speaking of which, let me first state that the advertised “World’s largest cheesecake” really wasn’t all that large.

Below is a selection of tasting notes from the rest of the trip.

Ippudo

Ramen – very tender slices of pork. Noodles were well textured and not overdone. The decadence of eating ramen with what is more ladle than a spoon has to be experienced. Still, it was the pork belly cutlets which really shone. And that’s saying a lot.

Friends appreciated the ramen here more than at that at Momofuku Noodle Bar.

Ippudo
65 4th Avenue | East Village, New York
(212) 388-0088

Cafe Fiorello

Cafe Fiorello was recommended by the same trusted hotel concierge that recommended Ippudo, so our a group of twelve met there with promises of some of the best pizza in town.

Meal post-mortem: preference still leans towards properly prepared Chicago style deep dish pizza. Maybe I just need to try a non-white-tablecloth pizzeria. Their sangria, however, is pretty amazing. Can’t put my finger on what made it stand out…cinnamon and something else that I couldn’t identify.

Cafe Fiorello
1900 Broadway | Upper West Side, New York
(212) 595-5330

Pinkberry

Pinkberry, where the frozen yogurt craze first gained popularity. The plain yogurt itself didn’t have that slightly sour tang I’ve become accustomed to. The toppings I tried (blackberries, mochi, coconut, manga) were all fresh tasting with the mochi winning much praise.

Yes, I realize the picture below is not what I just described above. Blame my horrible photography patience when food is involved.

Pinkberry
330 W 58th St | Columbus Circle, New York
(212) 397-0412

Katz’s Deli

My experience with deli meats are of the cold cut variety. It may have been the glitz of being in New York with some of my closest friends combined with the lack of sleep, but that late-night pastrami seemed like tender cuts of heaven served between two slices of bread.

Katz’s Deli
205 E Houston St | Lower East Side, New York
(212) 254-2246

And there you have it: my effort to eat my way though a weekend in the Big Apple. Throughout this series, I’ve made mention of the eateries that were memorable. The full photo gallery below contains pictures from lesser pit stops, including the not-so-large-world’s-largest-cheesecake.

As 2009 winds down to a close, I’d like to share the most memorable stories, experiences, and images of our threesome’s year in food.

Key Moments

What a time of transition. A new business, new contributors, and a new life to welcome into the world. 2010 is gonna be huge.

• An introduction to Tiny Bites Consulting
• On eating for two
• Introducing Team Tiny Bites

Dining Out

These are just a few of the places that Bruce, Degan, and I adored in 2009.

• Are you too cool for Qoola?
• Chinatown double feature: Phnom Penh and New Town Bakery
• Filipino Restaurant Series: Pinpin
• Visual Bites: Medina Cafe
• One fish, half a poutine at Red Fish, Blue Fish
• Visual Bites: Tamarind Hill
• Three things I’ll miss about Fuel Restaurant
• Diamond Girl
• A Refined Look at the Cocktail List
• Patio favourites in Victoria
• Bon eats at Baan Thai

Events Around Town

As a newly occupied parent, I’m sure that I’ll have to bow out of and/or delegate many of the events that we had enjoyed in 2009. This list is mostly for me to dwell in nostalgia as I tend to my little one in 2010.

• A play-by-play of the 2009 Culinary Tourism Society BC Conference
• An anthology of the 2009 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival
• A pictorial of the 2009 BC Restaurant Hall of Fame gala
• Wolfgang Blass: the other man who turned me on… to wine
• A Tasting With Bill Hardy
• Blogathon 2009 for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society
• Foodists BBQ BootCamp
• Recap and tasting notes of the 2009 Gastown Blues and Chili Festival
• Wines of Chile supertasting
• Celebrating Oktoberfest with La Brasserie
• Treat yourself to the last days of the 2009 West Coast Chocolate Festival
• Cornucopia: the sessions
• Live coverage of Shark Truth’s inaugural fundraiser at Wild Rice Restaurant

Home Cooking

We sure did a lot of cooking this year!

• Football-friendly recipes for Super Bowl XLIII
• Recipes for a romantic Valentine’s Day at home
• Foodists fun with Wanda and the Butchers of Gastown
• On being a Yaletown Hobby Chef for a Social Bites dinner
• Family pho recipe revealed
• Rouxbe Cooking School Series: fun with pho, part 1 of 2
• Birthday cakes of immortality
• On the making of an edible Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
• My mother-in-law’s Christmas Eve tourtière recipe

Culinary Travel

I’m not going to be able to do nearly as much jetsetting in 2010 as our trio did in 2009. Here are the highlights of where we’ve been.

• Bites of Asia Series: dining along the edge of a volcano (Philippines)
• Celebrating Chinese New Year around the Pacific Rim (Macau / Hong Kong)
• A tale of two Daniel Boulud cities (Las Vegas, NV)
• Tiny Bites does the Langley Circle Farm Tour circuit (Langley, BC)
• A taste of Victoria with Coast Hotels & Resorts (Victoria, BC)
• High Tea Series: The Empress Hotel (Victoria, BC)
• Battle of Chicago deep dish pizzerias (Chicago, IL)
• Bruce eats New York: Republic and Viet-Cafe in a Vietnamese showdown! (Pho-down?) (New York City, NY)
• Bruce eats New York: fried chicken overload at Momofuku Noodle Bar (New York City, NY)

Favourite Visuals

With so much going on this past year, it was difficult to write about everything we experienced. Consequently, these became hidden gems in my Flickr photostream. Here they are again for your viewing pleasure.

• Bites of Asia
  • Sentro 1771
  • Bohol Bee Farm
• Day tripping in Chilliwack
• A lesson in chocolate with the Dirty Apron Cooking School
• Harvest Picking Party at Township 7
• A Thanksgiving Wine Tour in the Okanagan
  • Sumac Ridge
  • Local Lounge
  • Spirit Ridge
  • Le Vieux Pin
• Pie Day
• A Night with Theo Chocolate
• Foodists’ Decadent Dinner Potluck

Favourite Discoveries

These people, events, and treats helped make 2009 an even yummier year.  Please check them out.

• Anita’s Organic
• Foodists
• Shark Truth
• Social Bites
• Sustainable Sushi
• Theo Chocolate
• Xoxolat

This is the second post in a three-part travel series called Bruce eats New York, where Tiny Bites contributor Bruce Nguyen chronicles his ‘New York virgin’ dining experiences during the summer of 2009.

1. Fried chicken overload at Momofuku Noodle Bar
2. Republic and Viet-Cafe in a Vietnamese showdown! (Pho-down?)
3. From cheesecake to yogurt and everything in between

Growing up, my family was never very adventurous in our culinary tastes. For each new city we’d visit, while we would try to dine on the local cuisine, by the end of the trip we would invariably end up eating at a local Vietnamese restaurant. The quality would vary, but at least my parents would be darned sure of their opinion. No “that’s was an interesting dish” remarks for us!

Once I was old enough and mobile enough to have non-family travel plans, experiencing new flavour combinations and arrangements would be the new norm. But every now and then, especially on a hectic or stressful day, a restaurant sign with Vietnamese writing would draw me in like a sailor to a lighthouse.

So it’s understandable why, on hearing that I dined at two Vietnamese restaurants during my short stint in New York, people ask if I was homesick or under duress. Believe it or not, neither of these restaurants were my choice but the choice of my dining companions.

I just didn’t complain when they made their suggestions.

Republic

Republic has the byline of “Vietnamese Sandwich Shop” but carries a ranging menu including twists on the standard beef noodle soup (pho). We tried a dish with a seafood base, one with a duck base, and a spicy beef variety, the last being the only traditional Vietnamese noodle soup – Bun Bo Hue.

We also shared a standard Vietnamese submarine sandwich, complete with three types of cold cuts, pate, pickled veggies and cilantro. The pate was not very noticeable and I would have liked a touch more. The sandwich came with a papaya salad pre-seasoned with fish sauce. It was good if not jaw-dropping. What was jaw-dropping, however, was the price. $10 USD for the same quality and quantity of what you can get in Vancouver for $6 CDN – $3 or less if you only want the sandwich.

One thing I must comment on the menu is the inclusion of “Iced Thai Coffee”. With a restaurant byline of “Vietnamese Sandwich Shop” why the insistance on calling it an iced Thai coffee? I tasted coffee, condensed milk, and ice. To me, that’s an iced Vietnamese coffee.

In the end, while I can’t in good faith recommend their sandwiches because of the price, I can recommend their noodle soup. The duck was excellent and the spicy beef and seafood varieties were very good, all of which are beyond the typical fare you’ll find in any Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver.

Republic
37 Union Sq W | Gramercy/Flatiron, New York
(212) 627-7168

Viet Cafe

Wasn’t much a fan of the veggie spring rolls. They were good but were nonetheless rather standard fare. The pork spring rolls, however, were memorable. Using deep fried rice paper as the wrap gives it a paradoxically crunchy yet chewy outer layer.

The chicken pho was clean tasting without any hints of MSG or added oil. If you’re a fan of ‘dirty’ pho, this particular dish may not be for you. I was a fan.

Viet Cafe
345 Greenwich Street | Tribeca, New York
(212) 431-5888

This is the first post in a three-part travel series called Bruce eats New York, where Tiny Bites contributor Bruce Nguyen chronicles his ‘New York virgin’ dining experiences during the summer of 2009.

1. Fried chicken overload at Momofuku Noodle Bar
2. Republic and Viet-Cafe in a Vietnamese showdown! (Pho-down?)
3. From cheesecake to yogurt and everything in between

Momofuku Noodle Bar landed on our radar because of a celebrity chef, but what drew us in was promise of fried chicken. For my first ever meal in New York, expectations were high and we decided to stick with comfort food.

The reservation process, however, nearly scared us off. In order to have fried chicken at Momofuku Noodle Bar, you need:

1. Four to eight people in your party (no more, no less)
2. A registered account on their website
3. Availability within a small number of pre-defined timeslots available each day.

It’s clear who the alpha dog is in this restaurant-diner relationship. Most restaurants I’ve been to are trying to attract more customers, not create further barriers to entry!

Then again, if we consider the pedigree of Momofuku Noodle Bar, it doesn’t seem that bizarre. This is the first restaurant of New York resident rockstar chef David Chang. Chang’s restaurant lineup includes Momofuku Ko, where reservations are taken exactly six days in advance, online only, on a first-come, first-served basis. No leeway is given to social status or income, which is a blessing since I constantly find myself lacking in both.

As we waited for the restaurant to open, a line started to form outside. It became clear through conversation with other expectant diners that we were the only ones with fried chicken reservations that day. Our reserved table was easy to spot as soon as the doors opened: it was the only one with a protective paper covering. Makes it easier to clear and clean the table, I’m sure. And believe you me, there was plenty of carnage to clean up after this meal.

Our chicken arrived accompanied by mu shu pancakes (think steamed soft taco shells), a selection of house made sauces, and a basket full of a greens including long peppers, red ball radishes, and shiso leaves. Even if the chicken were mediocre, I would still be raving about the accoutrements.

Thankfully, mediocrity wasn’t an issue. We were presented both Southern-styled and Korean-styled fried chicken. That’s two whole chickens for those of you following at home. The former had a buttermilk flavour that penetrated deep into the meat while the latter, triple-fried, had a light, crispy skin. Combining all these ingredients into a soft taco was comfort food at its best.

I enjoyed the southern-styled buttermilk fried chicken more, but overall our group was split… both figuratively and literally. Once we were through, all that was left marking this heroic battle between man and bird were grease stains and burstingly satisfied tummies.

After a meal like this, our only disappointment was that we didn’t have a second stomach to keep on eating! After all, for a place with ‘noodle bar’ in the name, we didn’t actually get to try the noodles. Later on in the trip we did end up trying noodle dishes at various New York restaurants, but that’s a story for another day.

Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Ave | East Village, New York
(212) 777-7773

I imagine that it doesn’t happen often – not unless, like me, you happen to live in one of them and your husband is in love with the glamour of the other.

Here’s our take on the two Daniel Boulud outfits in our hometown of Vancouver and our weekend getaway of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Daniel Boulud Brasserie (Las Vegas)

It was our first night in Sin City and my first day ever in this town of gambling and glitz when we strolled into the plush Wynn for our 6pm seating at DB Brasserie.

The ostentatious luxury that the Wynn oozed was certainly present in this restaurant. We were ushered to a patio table that overlooked a vast pond and an even more expansive waterfall, where we were told by our server, Paco, was the site of a light show and froggy song-and-dance as the evening waned. Puzzled by this description, we shrugged and looked at the menu.

Prices were sky high as to be expected of this town and of a restaurant of this reputation. My husband decided on the 3-course prix fixe. It was affordable at under $40 USD, but the quantities sounded enormous. I opted for 1 dish: a duo of beef containing Boulud’s signature slow-braised short ribs. That alone exceeded Kurt’s order by nearly $10, but I could at least expect to minimize food waste.

I should have just ordered a soup, because the kitchen adorned us with amuses and petit fours anyhow. However, I am incredibly glad that I had ordered the duo, because the short ribs were unbelievably spectacular. Worth every penny that we paid; I only wish it hadn’t been paired with a tenderloin. While clearly of good quality, it was so overwhelmed by the goodness of the short ribs that it somehow detracted from the discovery.

By the time dessert came round, the American portions had gotten to both of us, and Kurt declined the dessert that came with his meal. Paco, perhaps concerned that we weren’t enjoying our food, may have had something to do with the kitchen finding out about Kurt’s 30th birthday and sent him a molten ganache cake with a special message written on the plate. They threw something in for me since I was just sitting there…and then came the petit fours!

Combined with the show on the pond, meeting Chef, and the tremendous customer service of Paco and the rest of the front of the house, we had ourselves a good time indeed.

DB Bistro Moderne (Vancouver)

It was with this extreme experience in our short-term memory that we found ourselves at the Daniel Boulud restaurant in Kitsilano less than 3 weeks later, this time to celebrate our 3-year wedding anniversary in style. [Hmm - that's a lot of 3's.]

Incredibly, DB Bistro held up to its glamourous Vegas counterpart. No crazy hotel or giant pond frog with the voice of Louis Armstrong, but each dish exuded the same quality of taste that we first had in Nevada.

Each dish was again sized for American tastes: much too large for the smaller, multi-course portioning we are accustomed to in the West Coast. For the second time, Kurt declined the dessert that came with his prix fixe menu. For the second time, our server conveyed to the kitchen that we were celebrating our anniversary, adding also that we had homemade pie waiting for us at home.

You’d think that it would cause the kitchen to take a hint and simply send us off with a small plate of petit fours… instead, they chose the lightest of their desserts, wrote “Happy Anniversary” on the plate, and watched as we ate every last bite and thanked them for their thoughtfulness.

One thing’s for sure – if you are in a Daniel Boulud city and you celebrate a special occasion with them, make sure they know of it, because they’ll treat you like royalty.

1. The pizza must be cold.
2. So must the beer.
3. Underwear, but nothing else, must be worn.

Under these conditions, pizza was a god-send. Otherwise? It was either fun event in the kitchen or a quick fix for a lazy night.

It was with these underlying beliefs that I had a transcendant experience in Chicago during last year’s Lollapallooza festival, and no I’m not talking about seeing Radiohead live in concert.

Being my first time in Chicago, there were two things I was told to experience: Deep dish pizza, and delays at O’hare airport.

I ‘succeeded’ on both counts.

The hotel concierge claimed there are three main restaurants that compete for whose deep dish cuisine reigns supreme. We made it to two of the candidates, Edwardo’s Natural Pizza and Pizano’s Pizza & Pasta.

Edwardo’s was up first and the shear weight and girth of the pizza pie was enough to make my jaw drop. Never before had the term pizza pie been so apt.

At Pizano’s, the dish was served in a cast iron skillet.

In both cases the pizza turned out to have surprisingly little grease, and the crust, oh the crust! It’s a year later and I’m still holding on to the flavours lingering in my memories.

To be honest, my expectations coming in were that the stories told would fall victim of overhype and that I would still hold the opinion that pizza, ultimately, is just pizza.

I was wrong. Pizza will never be the same again.

Edwardo’s Natural Pizza
521 S Dearborn St | Loop, Chicago
(312) 939-3366

Pizano’s Pizza & Pasta
61 E Madison St | Loop, Chicago
(312) 236-1777

This article contains the first of several Early Bird Blogathon 2009 prize giveaways.

Valued at $200, you don’t want to miss your chance to win this Victoria loot bag nor miss an opportunity to support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. Read on or skip to the contest details.

Last month, Coast Hotels & Resorts invited me to a weekend media tour of one of my favourite BC destinations: Victoria. It had been ages since I was last there, with international travel and family holidays to Winnipeg getting priority, but Victoria will always hold a special place in my heart for being an affordable romantic getaway while my husband and I dated in university.

I’m admittedly unfamiliar with the food to be found in the city despite frequent discussions on the subject with work-week Victoria resident, Bruce Nguyen. This seemed like a great opportunity to take in long-forgotten sights and sample our host’’s recommended eateries. So with my CA husband in the throes of the corporate tax crunch, I grabbed design partner Jason Lau and joined other Vancouver new media invitees for a 2-day spin of BC’s capital.

There are already so many retellings of this jaunt to the Island. Check out the accounts of the other bloggers on this tour:

• Arieanna & Ianiv
• John Bollwitt
• Rebecca Bollwitt
• Anny Chih
• April Smith
• Duane Storey

Because of this, I’ll focus on the eating adventures that Jason and I had along the way.

Coffee stop at Tsawwassen Quay Market

Our travel set of 14 met groggily one Friday morning at the steps of the Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites by Denman and Comox. After being greeted by our hosts, Sherry and Danny, we boarded our chartered bus towards the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal.

Our arrival was deliberately early, giving us enough time to have our first communal caffeine intake at the Salt Spring Island Coffee booth in Tsawwassen Quay Market. I was personally excited to be at the Quay again. During last year’s excursion to Victoria, I had discovered its stretch of boutiques and eateries, becoming particularly enamored with the aesthetics of the Oh Gelato counter.

I was looking forward to a gelato treat before boarding our ferry, but with everyone else going for coffee and me still keen on hiding my pregnancy, the strange looks I was getting for wanting gelato this early made me nervous about indulging my cravings. Oh well – next time!

Pacific Buffet brunch with BC Ferries

We made a beeline for the stern once we boarded our ferry, where we had a brunch date with Pacific Buffet.

It was happy to see an endless flow of har gow and siu mai – two dim sum favourites that I didn’t expect to find in a West Coast buffet service. I happily took my fill of those, along with sides of spinach salad and fresh fruit to balance the meaty with the healthy. Despite the occasional trip-ups forced upon us by the boat’s rollicks, we all managed to eat several helpings before going deck-side for a photowalk.

Tipsy trials at Sea Cider

It was a good thing that we did stuff ourselves on the ferry, as our first Island-side stop consisted of a comprehensive tour and tasting of Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse. Arieanna and I, unable to partake in the cider tastings, sipped on our sparkling lavender water and green pear tea while witnessing the sure inebriation of the rest of our group. By all accounts, the ciders indeed impressed:  9 varieties ranging from dry to dessert, $12 – $25. Our table were big fans of the $17 Rumrunner and the best-selling $15 Pippins.

We toured the rest of the facility and observed cider-making in action with co-owner Kristen Jordan before returning to Victoria and checking into our hotel. Happily surprised that our in-room welcome package contained a bottle of Sea Cider’s Kings & Spies: an off-dry, Brittany-style cider made from heritage apples care of the Life Cycles fruit tree project.

Room service fun at Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel

Checking into our room on the 9th floor of Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel called for an immediate investigation of their room service menu. While Jason admired the view of the harbour from our balcony, I rang up for fries with double helpings of ketchup (yet another inexplicable craving I experienced throughout this trip).

Our room was well stocked with coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, but our mini-fridge was empty and the ice rooms were only on even floors. When room service arrived with my fries, I mentioned my reticence to travel a floor for ice for my tap water, and returned to the room later to find that turn-down service sent us bottles of water for our bedsides and a tin of Jelly Bellies to boot. I’d never turn down a chocolate on my pillow, but I must say that a tin of jellybeans that we could tote with us was an even nicer treat.

Scouring the booths of the BC Wine and Oyster Fest

We only had enough time to unpack and down said fries before heading out to the lobby floor for the 15th annual BC Wine and Oyster Fest – dubbed “Star Shuck” if you were to believe the accompanying tasting booklet.

The $50 admission was comped by Coast Hotels & Resorts – a good thing for me, as I was unable to eat or drink most of the offerings at hand. Jason, on the other hand, agreed to taste a selection of whites and rosés for me. With nearly 60 BC wineries represented, there was much to choose from. I suggested visits to some of my favourites: Road 13, Township 7, Thornhaven, Dirty Laundry, and Joie. Jason introduced me conceptually to the fruit wines of Elephant Island. We both discovered Vancouver Island wineries such as Dragonfly Hill and Averill Creek. No representation from my favourite Island vintner, Venturi-Schulze, but Saturday at Spinnakers made up for that.

Still, I cheated on my diet with as many oysters as my morning sickness could handle. A particularly disagreeable one of the BBQed variety also gave me an excuse to sip the funk away with a heavenly rinse of Joie’s Noble Blend. Beyond these indiscretions, I picked at the veggie platters and haunted the chocolate fountain until it was time to head out for a proper meal. (I heard that others were less excited about and/or capable of gallivanting outside the hotel after our cider afternoon and this wine fest – room service may have been pleased with our group’s patronage that evening!)

Asian fare at The Noodle Box

Some of our number made use of the hotel shuttle to head to The Noodle Box on Douglas Street, since the one in the more picturesque neighbourhood of Chinatown was jam packed. Even at the Douglas location, we were lucky to scoop up a table large enough for the 7 of us. The view was hard to beat: I snapped photos of the flames that shot out of the open kitchen’s woks as the rest ordered various stir-frys of the Asian persuasion.

Sorry – not many photos of the food were taken. I was too busy wolfing down my shanghai beef noodles and enjoying the dinner conversation. I do recall Elisa enjoying her enormous serving of Tom Kah Gai while Angela and Anny were underwhelmed by their choice of roti. Overall, it was serviceable enough for me to ponder a visit of  The Noodle Box in Kitsilano.

Adventures at Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub

Day 2 started with a fruit-filled breakfast at the hotel and an amiable walk over to the Royal BC Museum. All that walking around got everyone hungry, so we jumped on the Victoria Harbour Ferry – the city’s Aquabus counterpart – to the local institution that is Spinnakers.

It was at Spinnakers that we got to know Tourism Victoria ambassador Kelsey Ewart, who treated us to a multi-course meal as we tasted Vancouver Island wines and Spinnakers’ homebrews. Arieanna and I were provided with pregnancy-friendly menu alternatives while the others ate through platters of mussels and clams, local raw cheeses, pork and mushroom risotto, and more.  My envy peaked as the table downed several offerings from Venturi-Schulze; happily, we were given license to sample the house chocolates that came paired with the Spinnakers beer trio.

After a tour of the properties that Spinnakers had amassed over the years, I picked up one of each chocolate that Spinnakers made in-house for the Victoria loot bag that I’m giving away to one of you, plus extras for my husband that I thought he might enjoy: truffles infused with scotch, tequila, chili, lavender, and more.

Tea at the Empress

Afternoon tea at the Empress was the culinary highlight of my trip – worth every penny of the $65 plus tax and tip that I was originally reluctant to spare. I shall reserve further comment for a separate post as part of my High Tea Series. Watch out for that article at 4pm during Blogathon 2009 by next week, as I have a separate giveaway planned for it.

If you want to feel like a princess, this is one of the best ways to do it in Victoria.

Victoria Tweetup at Ogden Point Cafe

After sleeping off the coma induced by our food-filled afternoon, the visiting Vancouver Twitter folk went to Ogden Point Cafe to introduce ourselves to the Victoria Twitter scene. I mostly got to chat with @howlabit and @lacouvee as we took in the view of the harbouring cruise ships and shared a pint or coffee mug with our Island cronies.

A dark dinner at Sauce

On the recommendation of those that gathered at the Victoria Tweetup, 2 camps of diners headed over to Government to dine at Sauce. Think Milestones mediocrity in a space lit like a dungeon.

Well, that was what my table thought, at least. The other table, situated across the restaurant from us, seemed to enjoy their meal just fine. Personally, I regretted the decision to go with the crowd instead of eating at Red Fish, Blue Fish, a place that Vancouver Island correspondent Bruce so ardently admires.

Breakfast highlights at Blue Crab Bar & Grill

Sunday morning in Victoria was sad and brief, with just enough time to eat a hot breakfast at the hotel’s Blue Crab Bar & Grill.

The more adventurous of us took up Anny’s pre-breakfast amuse bouche: bacon and cheese crickets that she picked up as a souvenir from the Victoria Bug Zoo. My tasting notes? Like bacon bits, with legs.

Cravings and solace in Seawest Lounge

Our return to Vancouver didn’t include another Pacific Buffet brunch, but we did get to camp in the quiet of Seawest Lounge and select from its complimentary dailies and snacks. That wasn’t enough for my appetite, so I snuck over to the cafeteria and smuggled in a White Spot Legendary burger, a large helping of root beer, and a massive side of pickles (surprisingly, a dozen of these babies only cost me 99 cents).

Photo courtesy of Danny Dang

The allure of my fast food got to a few of the people around me, causing a mini-exodus to the same cafeteria for burgers of their own. I chuckled at the way we ended our gastronomic weekend with a burger and fries, and held a bigger smile still for the moments we all shared as Mainlanders in Victoria.

Let me give you a taste of Victoria!

Would you like a Victoria goodie bag to enjoy for your next journey to the Island? Take a look at this first of several Early Bird Blogathon giveaways:

• Swag and $50 gift card from our weekend host, Coast Hotels & Resorts
• 1 pass for the Royal BC Museum and the Imax Theatre
• Road, trail, and walking maps of Victoria and beyond
• Complete gamut of Spinnakers’ housemade chocolate truffles (12 varieties)
• Package of 10 two-cup tea bags of Empress Quality Tea Blend
• 1 bottle of Sea Cider’s Kings & Spies cider*
• Tin of Jelly Belly jellybeans

This prize is valued at approximately $200 and should give you another reason to head out to Victoria this summer to take in the sights.

How you can win

Anyone* that helps us give to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society for Blogathon 2009 has the opportunity to win this Victoria goodie bag. See full rules and eligibility below.

1. By day’s end on July 24, 2009, every $10 that you donate towards Tiny Bites’ Blogathon drive for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society grants you 1 entry to the draw. If you donate $50, that equals 5 entries for you and $50 x 3 = $150 worth of food for the people that the Food Bank helps. Doesn’t that just give you the warm fuzzies?
2. After you donate, book a stay with Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel in Victoria’s Inner Harbour to earn 10 bonus entries to this draw. Try this special package for Tiny Bites readers or design a stay of your choosing – it’s up to you!
3. Please contact us about your donation and/or bookings before July 25th so that we can make sure you get all the entries that you deserve.
4. The winner will be announced at 1:30pm on July 25, 2009, while Bruce is on shift for Blogathon 2009.

* While we would be happy to ship this prize to anyone that is eligible (above), only those that can pick up their prize can be given the bottle of Sea Cider Kings & Spies. Canada Post is pretty stuffy about mailing alcohol about – sorry.

• Mini-bottle of Domaine de Chaberton’s Chaberton Cuvée Blanc
• 200ml jar of Vista D’oro rhubarb and vanilla artisanal preserve
• Keychain from Erikson’s Daylily Gardens
• Lavender lip balm and body/environment spray from Tuscan Farm Gardens
• Tour and personal wine & cheese party for 4 care of Fort Wine Company
• Tourism Langley tote bag and trinkets
• Info on the Langley participants plus all of the Circle Farm Tours available in the rest of BC

And the winner is…

Congratulations, Jemmen! I will be contacting you by email to arrange drop-off or shipment of your goodie bag.

There will be more giveaways this year as I explore the other Circle Farm Tours and culinary destinations in British Columbia. If you didn’t win this time, stay tuned for the next one.

Thanks to Tourism Langley, I finally got the chance to try one out this year (and I promise that this tour won’t be the last). Take a look at our day-long sojourn into the growers’ heart of Langley, British Columbia.

Our Circuit

Aldor Acres Dairy Centre

After breakfast at the nearby Holiday Inn Express and a warm welcome from Tourism Vancouver, our group hopped on a West Coast Sightseeing bus towards Aldor Acres Dairy Centre. We were promptly steered to the stables behind the Visitor’s Centre to feed the cows and snap photos of a few of the newer members of the herd.

Inside, we learned how to milk Claire (above) and had a sampling of finished product in the form of chocolate milk. As we sipped at our drinks, we were entertained by the bottle feeding of Claire’s calf, Rusty, who in his eagerness attempted to board the bus as we made ready for our next stop.

More on Aldor Acres Dairy Centre:

• Daily tours at 4pm – pre-booking of your visit is required
• $9 general admission with discounts for large groups and schools

Driediger Farms

Meet Rhonda Driediger, whose family has been running Driediger Farms and its U-Pick operation since the 1960s. As the farm hadn’t opened its doors to U-Pick visitors in time for our visit, Rhonda hopped onto our bus for a quick hello and a passing out of an entire blueberry pie for each guest. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the natural sweetness of the blueberry and its flaky crust for days after my return from the tour. 

More on Driediger Farms:

• U-Pick season open this year on June 15, 2009 (read what to bring with you to the farm)
• Berries available for the picking: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, red and black currants, gooseberries
• Recommended berry handling and recipes

Krause Berry Farms

Next was neighbour Krause Berry Farms, another U-Pick destination in the Circle Farm Tour family. Many on the bus were already familiar with this destination; hopes were high that the famously towering Krause berry pies were already on sale.

Pies were indeed in the freezer as we scurried inside for a seat, with Alf and Sandee Krause warning us to pre-order for Father’s Day. In front of each place setting was a shortcake bursting with strawberries and cupfuls of coffee to go with. I downed half of mine before exploring the rest of the Porch and the U-Pick fields beyond. I cannot wait to return once the farm opens on June 18th.

More on Krause Berry Farms:

• This year’s U-Pick season officially opens on Thursday, June 18, 2009
• Come by on Canada Day and enjoy a free pancake breakfast and meet farm animals Jake, Jerry, Laddy, and Squeaky
• Come by on July 19, 2009 for the annual Farmer’s Feast, featuring many of Langley’s local farmers 

Erikson’s Daylily Gardens

Another whistle stop visit, this time from Pam Erikson of Erikson’s Daylily Gardens. Since she was still getting the place ready for summertime showings, she told us how she achieved notoriety for bestowing the name of Crotchless Panties to one of her top-selling hybrids.

More on Erikson’s Daylily Gardens:

• Drop by their 8th annual Open House on July 4-5, 2009

JD Farms Specialty Turkey Store

Our bellies were still digesting the strawberry shortcake from Krause Berry Farms when we pulled into JD Farms for a lunch of turkey sandwiches and curried turkey & vegetable soup served with refreshing lavender lemonade.

For those that preferred to graze or mingle, booths ringed the patio, representing Circle Farm participants Vista D’oro, Full Bloom Farm, Fort Wine Company, and Tuscan Farm Gardens as well as the Langley Community Farmers Market, which opens on July 8th.

More on JD Farms:

• JD Farms’ turkey-rearing standards and certifications
• Comprehensive collection of community-rated turkey recipes with online roasting guide
• Find a JD Farms retailer near you

Full Bloom Farm

A quick pass of the beautiful property of Full Bloom Farm as owner and Registered Aromatherapist Robyn Wyman spoke to us about her lavender products, massage services, garden yoga, and more. 

More on Full Bloom Farm:

• See the lavender in bloom between June 15 – August 15, 2009
• Drop by for the Lavender Festival on July 4 & 5, 2009
• Sign up for Saturday yoga in Full Bloom Farm’s lovely garden (June 20 & 27, 2009)

If you haven’t tried it before, infuse some lavender into your lemonade next time. It was divine!

Domaine de Chaberton

 

My husband and I tasted Domaine de Chaberton last year in our day trip to see some of Langley’s wine producers. The visit this time around included a short tour of the vineyard and peeks into the processing facility and cellar. 

If you’d like to read more about the Langley Circle Farm Tour before planning your day trip, take a gander at others’ adventures in Langley and the full list of Langley participants:

• Langley Circle Farm Tour – My Urban Suburban
• Langley Circle Farm Tour – Fraser Valley Pulse
• The Langley tour – Circle Farm Tour website

Blog Giveaway: Langley Circle Farm Tour Goodies

We were treated to so many goodies during this tour launch that I’d like to pay it forward with a giveaway. Here’s what is inside the Langley care package I’m bundling up for the winner:

• Mini-bottle of Domaine de Chaberton’s Chaberton Cuvée Blanc
• 200ml jar of Vista D’oro rhubarb and vanilla artisanal preserve
• Keychain from Erikson’s Daylily Gardens
• Lavender lip balm and body/environment spray from Tuscan Farm Gardens
• Tour and personal wine & cheese party for 4 care of Fort Wine Company
• Tourism Langley tote bag and trinkets
• Info on the Langley participants plus all of the Circle Farm Tours available in the rest of BC

Contest eligibility: 

1. You must reside in British Columbia since I will be shipping you a package that contains alcohol.
2. You must submit a comment to this post describing which Langley Circle Farm Tour participants you have either visited or would like to visit.
3. You must submit your comment on or before noon on Saturday, June 20, 2009. Winner will be announced on Monday, June 22, 2009.

Good luck!

Update: Congratulations to Jemmen for winning the Langley goodie bag giveaway. Thanks to all that participated by sharing their thoughts about Langley and its Circle Farm Tour.