In the House Festival and Salt Tasting Room present:

Fourplay

A dinner/theatre experience like no other!

Why is love so illogical? Enticing, compelling and often oh so awkward, what makes us behave the way we do in our quest

for partnership? Fourplay takes you on an interactive exploration of the various stages of courtship.

February 13, 20, 27 and March 5, 2012

Doors at 7:00 pm

Show at 7:30 pm sharp

45 Blood Alley

Come to one show or come to all!

$65 per night or save $20 and come to all 4!

Ticket price includes dinner + theatre

*beverages + gratuity not included

What are you in store for when you go to Fourplay? Here are some more details about each of the nights:

Monday, February 13

Episode 1 – Chemistry

The seeds of love often come from the strangest places. Come partake in a grand experiment to try to discover the secrets and foibles of romantic behaviour. Special guests: musician + lyrical

raconteur, Melissa Bandura, Actor + clown,  Deneh Thompson

Monday, February 20

Episode 2 – Magic

Engagement – the golden apple of so many relationships. It’s not often we get to witness such a special sight, but now’s your chance. Special guest: Magician + purveyor of all things wondrous, Travis Bernhardt

Monday, February 27

Episode 3 – Spice

What happens when the stag party and the wedding shower get booked at the same restaurant on the same date? Fireworks guaranteed! Special guest: TBA – hint: it involves burlesque

Monday, March 5

Episode 4 – Union

It’s a wedding! Come and join us for a celebration you’ll never forget. Special guests: Orkestar Slivovica

Follow the story the whole way or join us for just one episode.

All shows take place at Salt Tasting Room. Each show has a special menu created uniquely for each event. Vegetarian option available.

Tickets must be purchased in advance

Info and tickets at www.inthehousefestival.com

February 2012 Celebrate Milestone Apple Month with BC Tree Fruits

This February marks a milestone for a familiar local fruit – the apple as it celebrates the milestone birthday. 75 years ago in1936 a group of dedicated farmers came together with a goal to provide the finest tree fruits worldwide. From that first planted seed grew a co-operative of 800 producers that continues today.

Shoppers browsing the produce aisle of their local grocery store this February 2012 are in for a big treat – it’s Apple Month! Throughout Apple Month, in-store promotions and sampling serve as a delicious reminder of the locally grown fruit. It might be the dark days of winter for most Western Canadians, but naturally delicious B.C. Tree Fruits apples are still available fresh, giving consumers the opportunity to support local growers and adhere to Dr’s orders of an apple a day!

“We’re proud to be a leader supplying fresh delicious BC Tree Fruit apples throughout Western Canada and thank our loyal consumers for their growing support over the past 75 years”, stated Rick Austin Director of Sales and Marketing for BC Tree Fruits.

During Apple Month, shoppers will notice enticing displays of B.C. Tree Fruits apple varieties available at this time of year, including Ambrosia, Fuji, Granny Smith, McIntosh, Red Delicious, Royal Gala and Spartan. Consumers will be able to sample varieties in stores during the month. Apple inspired recipe cards will be available for consumers, with further recipes available on the BCTree.com site.

Eating meets Theatre for families as the Push Festival takes family entertainment to another level.

Taking place in Vancouver January 25 – February 4, 2012

At various restaurants in Gastown and surrounding neighbourhoods

Costs: The price of whatever you’re feeling fly enough to order!

See below for a complete list of participating restaurants and dates, and be sure to stop by to meet the kids and grab a bite to eat.

Fine dining the way it was meant to be—with children.

Mammalian Diving Reflex, the company behind Haircuts by Children, is at it again with a whimsical work of contemporary performance that yanks power and authority from the clutches of adults and places it in the deserving hands of children. Following a culinary session with a professional chef, grades five and six students from Bridgeview Elementary in Surrey will make stops at several of the city’s most notable eateries in Gastown and surrounding neighbourhoods. They will be feted and fed throughout the three weeks of the Festival, charged with offering their brutally honest, uncensored opinions on the food, the service, the décor, the state of the washrooms and the charm of the dishwasher.

For the mere cost of a meal, the public is invited to sit amongst the kids for a front-row view of the youthful connoisseurs in action. It will be the most fun meal you’ve had since you, yourself, sat at the kids table. Check back for a complete list of restaurants and dates, or follow the shenanigans at eatdastreet.blogspot.com. Then join the panel of pre-adolescent adjudicators for an uproarious awards ceremony where awards are bestowed for everything from “Most Delicious” and “Coolest Chef” to “Least Graffiti in the Washroom.”

Produced by Mammalian Diving Reflex

Supported by The Roundhouse Arts and Recreation Centre and TELUS Vancouver Community Board.

Special thanks to the Gastown Business Improvement Association.

……………………..

RESTAURANTS AND DATES

Irish Heather GastroPub- January 25, 6pm

210 Carrall Street

Mains range from $13-24, email reso.irishheather@gmail.com for reservations.

Calabash Bistro – January 26, 6pm

428 Carrall Street   604.568.5882

Mains range from $12-21, reservations recommended.

Nuba @ The Waldorf – January 27, 6pm

1489 E Hastings Street   604.253.7141

Appies and mains range from $6-19, reservations recommended.

Subeez – January 28, 6pm

891 Homer Street   604.687.6107

Share plates and mains range from $7-18, reservations recommended.

La Casita – January 29, 6pm

101 West Cordova Street   604.646.2444

Mains range from $11-23, reservations recommended.

Chambar – January 30, 6pm

562 Beatty Street   604.879.7119

Appies range from $12-16, Mains range from $22-33. Reservations recommended.

Chill Winston – January 31, 6pm

3 Alexander Street

Nothing on the menu over $20. No reservations, arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Nicli Antica Pizzeria – February 1, 5pm

62 East Cordova Street

Pizzas range from $9-20. No reservations, arrive early to avoid disappointment.

The Old Spaghetti Factory – February 2, 6pm

53 Water Street

Mains range from $9.50-17.95, reservations recommended.

For the mere cost of a meal, join the youthful connoisseurs for a front-row view of the action!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

1. Choose a restaurant

2. Make a reservation, or show up at the appointed date and time.

(Make sure to tell them you’re coming for Eat the Street.)

3. Join the fun!

Then to top off the week, they are inviting everyone back for the

Eat the Street Awards Ceremonies

February 4, 2pm at The Roundhouse, 181 Roundhouse Mews.

FREE

More details here

Tantalize your taste buds at over a dozen fabulous downtown Vancouver restaurants! This evening tasting extravaganza goes from 6pm until 9 PM and is presented by Vancouver Foodster & Taste and Sip Magazine.

Each restaurant will be serving up Tasting Plates for guests to enjoy and you will have a chance to visit many different restaurants throughout the evening, meet some new food loving friends, meet the chefs, and learn about each of the participating restaurants.

• Vegetarian options will be available at most of the participating restaurants.
• Prize draws will be held at each of the restaurants all night long.
• Bring along a friend or two, your significant other, your family or come solo.
• A food networking dinner event connecting Vancouver’s vibrant food community.

Participating restaurants include:

• Phat Deli Yaletown
• Notturno Paninoteca
• Cosca Restaurant 
• Bonchaz 
• Footo Delights
• W2 Media Cafe
• Leonadis Chocolate Cafe
• WE. Coffee 

Participating Food Trucks include:

• Juice Truck
• Soho Road

More restaurants will be announced in the coming days.

Visit each of the participating restaurants by walking, transit, bike, or carpooling.

$2 from each ticket purchased will go to support the Vancouver Food Bank.

Purchase Tickets Here

Tickets: $25 per person (eventbrite fee extra) – ticket price includes tasting plates at each of the participating restaurants throughout the evening. A donation of $2 from each ticket purchased will go to support the Vancouver Food Bank. (Beverages are not included, you are welcome to purchase wine, beer, cocktails or mocktails at each of the participating restaurants).

The first 300 people to purchase an advance ticket will receive a copy of the new  book “Vancouver Foodster’s guide to dining and drinking in Vancouver “ written by Richard Wolak (value $21.95) publishing February 2012.

Note: No tickets will be sold on the day of the event. All ticket sales are final. No exchanges or refunds; however they are transferrable with printed proof of ticket. ALL Tickets must be purchased in advance online.

Order tickets via Eventbrite:

http://tastingplatesvancouver.eventbrite.ca

A sweet finish to every meal is dessert and this column is all about the best desserts that I have enjoyed in restaurants throughout the land! I have scoured eateries for the very best last course!

Spiced Jar Cake

Spiced cake with a maple glaze baked in a mason jar that was served with vanilla ice cream on the side a heavenly experience.

Lot No. 3 Restaurant

460 106th Avenue Northeast, Bellevue, Wa

http://www.lotno3.com/

A sweet finish to every meal is dessert and this column is all about the best desserts that I have enjoyed in restaurants throughout the land! I have scoured eateries for the very best last course!

Jamieson Whiskey Butterscotch Pudding

I savoured this wonderful dessert that was a wonderful ending to my meal a couple of weeks ago.

Created by Pastry Chef Matt Justin

Boneta Restaurant

12 Water Street, Vancouver, BC

http://www.boneta.ca/

Cliff baking Ciabatta loaves

A few months while on a culinary trip to Victoria, I spent the morning at the Fol Epi Bakery. Cliff the head baker and owner started baking when he was 19 and never thought he would have his own bakery, previously he opened Wild Fire Bakery and about 2-1/2 years ago he opened Fol Epi.

I chatted with Cliff while he was baking, that day he began at 3am and told me that he didn’t have the time to stop production, so we talked in between loaves.

What are the most popular type of bread here?

Baguettes are the most popular

How long is the fermentation process for your Whole Wheat Ciabatta loaves?

22 hours (wild yeast) fermentation time.

Can customers buy your popular Almond croissants daily?

We only make a couple dozen Almond croissants on Saturdays.

What is your style of baking?

Wild using French techniques for the breads and pastries.

I understand you mill your own flour, is that true?

Yes we mill our own flour in the shop and then bake.

Where do you get your wheat from?

Getting the wheat from Saskatchewan, it is Red Fife and then we are milling it ourselves.

Your oven looks very unique, was it shipped to you?

No we built the oven on the loading dock (15 tons) and had the crane install it and then brick covered it.

What does Fol Epi mean?

Fol – Wild

Epi – Bread

What type of yeast culture is in your bread?

Wild yeast

Pastry Chef Kathleen McGorman making Canneles

What types of baked goods does your pastry team make?

• Croissants
• Danishes
• pane chocolate
• Streusals – blackberries, blueberries, apple

What type of Desserts do you make?

Cakes from Flourless to Nut sponges.

What is the hottest pastry right now in your bakery?

Organic Macarons

What flavours of Macarons are you making?

• Chocolate
• Black currant
• Almond
• Vanilla bean
• Hazelnut
• Coffee
• Raspberry

What else do you make in the bakery?

We make our own chocolates that are organic and fair trade.

Fol Epi Bakery

398 Harbour Road

Victoria, BC

http://www.folepie.ca

Phone: 250-477-8882

Chef’s Table is a series of Interviews with some of the top chefs in North America.

Chef Jason McClure

I had dinner at Sazerac Restaurant where Chef Jason McClure resides they are located inside Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Seattle.

After graduating with a degree in Hotel/Restaurant Management from Northern Arizona University, Chef McClure cooked his way across the country. From the southwest north to Minneapolis, Chef worked his way up through several restaurants before his spatula came to rest at Sazerac in 1997.

What style of cooking is your cuisine at Sazerac?

It’s rustic American food, with roots in the south. We focus on this region using as much local product as possible to execute soulful, straight forward dishes.

Which wine would you pair with your Steak Frites- Washington Beef Tenderloin dish?

I love “La Serrene”, from Betz, 2004, Columbia Valley.

What is your favourite cuisine to eat?

I’m torn,  I am passionate about Japanese Cuisine but love the simple, rustic nature of country dishes from Italy and Spain.

What challenges you as a chef?

The industry is full of talent in this town. Staying competitive and at the forefront is a huge challenge that requires daily commitment.

What do you want your chefs to learn from you?

Integrity

What is your favourite dish to make (personally) at home?

Something long cooked and rewarding like short ribs or shanks, simple mash, sauteed greens like kale or chard.

Where is your favourite food city and why?

Seattle because of my love for sushi: mashiko, Otto, and nishino, all fantastic sushi spots.

What did you want to be when growing up?

Race cars or fly planes.

What are your favourite Seattle restaurants (other than yours) ?

• Le Pichet
• Ocho
• Via Tribunali
• Pig Iron BBQ

What do you like to do in your off time?

• Dine out
• Cook
• Eat
• Hang out with friends and family
• Travel
• Art
• Music

Which 3 wines or beers do you enjoy personally?

I love hard cider, Fernet Branca. And anything from the Marlboro Region of New Zealand, specifically Whitehaven, and the first 2 beverages together.

How do you go about pushing the boundary and achieving excellence in your profession as a chef?

Be aware of what’s happening , exercise creativity daily so it comes easier, maintain a high standard.

If there was one thing you could do as a chef that you have not already done, what would it be?

I would have to go back in time and train in Europe as a young chef, experience that culture of food from inside.

Chef’s Table is a series of Interviews with some of the top chefs in North America.

Chef Walter Pisano

I had dinner at Tulio Restaurant where Chef Walter Pisano resides they are located inside Kimpton Hotel Vintage Park in Seattle.

Through traditional apprenticeships, Chef Pisano was trained in classical European cuisine before moving to Seattle in 1980 where he helped open The Hunt Club at the Sorrento Hotel. In 1984, Chef Pisano ventured on a culinary tour of Europe, immersing himself in Italian and French cuisines.

Appointments that followed included the Executive Chef at the popular Bravo Pagliacci, and the Sous Chef at Gerard Relais de Lyon restaurant in Bothell, where he met superstar Chef Jean-Louis Palladin. Pisano then became the first American to work as a Sous Chef at the prestigious Jean-Louis restaurant at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.

What style of cooking is your cuisine at Tulio?

Italian with a northwest influence (all regions of Italy)

Which wine would you pair with your RIBEYE dry aged 28 days, porcini salted potatoes, Gorgonzola Dolci ?

VIETTI ‘Castiglione,’ Barolo, DOCG

Have any celebrities that you know of dined at your restaurant over the years? If so who?

• U2/Bono
• Paul Newman
• JFK JR
• Jeff Bezos (Founder of Amazon)
• Bill Gates
• Sylvester Stallone
• Sidney Poitier
• Al Gore
• Alan Greenspan
• Many Major League Baseball Players including: Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mike Piazza

What is your favourite cuisine to eat?

Sushi

What challenges you as a chef?

Making creative food that inspires me that also pleases my guests-it’s a balance I try to achieve every day

What do you want your chefs to learn from you?

• Finesse.
• I want them to bring finesse into their cooking style through flavor, execution and presentation

What is your favourite dish to make (personally) at home?

Anything new that I haven’t tried before.  The other night I made empanadas for the first time-they were great.

Where is your favourite food city and why?

New York. It’s so diverse and there is so much ethnic cuisine and various styles of food.  You can really get anything you want whenever you want it.

What did you want to be when growing up?

A forest ranger (kind of funny for a kid from Brooklyn)

What are your favourite Seattle restaurants (other than yours)?

There are so many great restaurants and great chefs in this city it’s really tough to choose one.  We have so many new restaurants opening all the time I really try and get around to as many as I can.

What do you like to do in your off time?

• Go to Sounders (MLS) games
• Spend time with my family
• Cook for friends
• Spend time outside

Which 3 wines do you enjoy personally?

1. Col Solare
2. Marceau (white burgundy)
3. Amarone

How do you go about pushing the boundary and achieving excellence in your profession as a chef?

By knowing what’s going on seasonally, and with new products.

I’m also constantly expanding my food knowledge to the beverage side-recently I came up with a menu of ‘food inspired cocktails’ which merged my favorite liquors with my favorite Italian foods.

If there was one thing you could do as a chef that you have not already done, what would it be?

I would love to go on a culinary excursion through Italy, France and Spain.

As an experienced chef, my travels would be quite different than when I visited those countries before-now I have a better understanding, appreciation and knowledge of food.

Chef’s Table is a series of Interviews with some of the top chefs in North America.

Chef Dan Hayes

I chatted with Dan at The London Chef on a recent visit to Victoria.

Dan Hayes has been a chef for over 11 years, beginning his professional culinary training working with renowned English seafood chef Rick Stein on the west coast of England. Dan acted as Commis chef for Stein in both of his seafood restaurants and cookery school for over three years.

After working with Stein, Dan went back to London where he worked as the Sous Chef at one of the oldest and most prestigious restaurants in London, Poissonnerie de lʼAvenue. Here, Dan honed his French-style culinary techniques, and developed an interest in classical cuisine. During this time Dan was also acting as Head Food Stylist working with noted food photographer Paul Webster where he styled for editorial campaigns, television advertisements and food packaging.

After Poissonnerie, Dan went on to work at Michelin starred restaurant La Vinoteca in the Fenicia Presige Hotel in Ibiza, Spain, opened three restaurants – including two Fishworks seafood restaurants in London where Dan served as Executive Chef and taught at the Fishworks Cookery school, and The Lodge in the Canary Isles.

Dan has also run a successful catering and private chef business in London, and worked as the Food Marketing Manager at Whole Foods London. He also created and ran a successful cooking school at Whole Foods where he taught many cooking classes.

Since moving to Victoria two years ago, Dan has been familiarizing himself with west coast cuisine, developing relationships with local chefs, and working with regional produce and flavours.

What is your favourite cuisine?

Southern Spanish

What challenges you as a chef?

Anything involving pastry work, love to concentrate to get it right.

Tell about The London Chef,

We are a cooking school, caterer, we operate a café as well as a pantry where we sell sausages and other gourmet products.

What do you want chefs to learn?

Tasting, tasting, tasting

What are your favourite restaurants in Vancouver?

• L’Abbotoir
• Campagnolo

 What are your favourite restaurants in Victoria?

• Stage Wine Bar
• Scasz Sausages
• Brasserie L’ecole

What are the differences between London and Victoria?

In London restaurants would tip off delivery drivers to find out where those Scallops are coming from or when the price would drop etc, people are hostile.

In Victoria, we work as a community where we can borrow shallots or other ingredients if we  are short.

What are you passionate about?

Seafood and within that Bycatch, the latest find Dogfish

Stay tuned for the next chef in the Chefs Table series.