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3www.eatmagazine.ca MARCH | APRIL 2009

When the Federal government unveiled its stimulus plan in therecent budget, a provision allowing for a Home Renovation Tax Credit caught theeye of many homeowners. This deduction offers a 15% deduction (anything spent

up to a maximum of $10,000 would be eligible) on your 2009 tax return for work performed onan eligible dwelling (or the land that forms part of the eligible dwelling) and includes the cost oflabour and professional services, building materials, fixtures, rentals, and permits. Under theguidelines of eligible projects are kitchen renos, putting in a new carpet, painting your house andlaying new sod. While my kitchen could certainly use a few improvements and the old dwellinga fresh coat of paint, it was the eligibility of sod that gave me pause. Sod? Lawnmowers?Increased carbon footprint? Hmm… perhaps there’s another way?I’d like to propose to anyone thinking of using this Tax Credit that they consider putting in a

vegetable garden—one big enough to meet at least some of your family’s food needs. There arehistoric precedents for countries planting vegetable gardens during hard times (Read Julie Pegg’sarticle on page 7 called The New Victory Garden.) Not only would an edible garden qualify underthe provisions of the Canada Revenue Agency and save you money, it would accomplish twoadditional things other home renovations might not.By planting a vegetable garden you would not only be providing your family with fresh, local

and healthy food that could reaped year after year, you would bemaking a contribution to BritishColumbia’s food security at a time when knowing where your food is coming from is quicklybecoming a major priority. And what could be more satisfying than sitting outside and watchinga lettuce “lawn” grow? —Bon appétit, Gary Hynes, Editor

Concierge Desk . . . . 4Good for You . . . . . . . 6Food Matters . . . . . . 7Epcure at Large . . . . 9Restaurant Culture . 10Food Artisans . . . . . 12Restaurant Reporter 14Local Heroes . . . . . . 20Local Kitchen . . . . . 22What’s in Season? . 25Chowders . . . . . . . . 26The BC Food Scene 32Liquid Assets . . . . . 38True Brew . . . . . . . . 39Wine & Terroir . . . . .40Chefs Talk . . . . . . . .42

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T h e P E O P L E , S T O R I E S & W I N E ST H A T M A K E t h e B A R O S S A F A M O U S

Editor’sNote: solutions

!IN THIS ISSUE

eatmagazineMarch | April 2009

Editor in Chief Gary HynesContributing Editor Carolyn Bateman, Vancouver Contributing Editor Julie Pegg

Editorial Assistant Katie ZdybelCommunity ReportersVictoria: Katie Zdybel, Nanaimo: Su Grimmer, Comox Valley: Hans Peter MeyerTofino | Uclulet: Kira Rogers, Vancouver: Julie Pegg, Okanagan: Jennifer Schell

Contributors Larry Arnold, Michelle Bouffard, Jennifer Danter, Pam Durkin, Gillie Easdon,Andrei Fedorov, Jeremy Ferguson, Nathan Fong, Lorraine Forster, Duncan Holmes, MaraJernigan, Chris Johns, Tracey Kusiewicz, Tara Lee, Andrew Lewis, Ceara Lornie, SherriMartin, Kathryn McAree, Michaela Morris, Colin Newell, Julie Pegg, Karen Platt, TreveRing, Kira Rogers, John Schreiner, John Sherlock, Elizabeth Smyth, Chris Mason Stearns,Michael Tourigny, Sylvia Weinstock, Rebecca WellmanPublisher Pacific Island Gourmet | EAT ® is a registered trademark.Advertising:Lorraine Browne (Vancouver Island), Paul Kamon, Danica Jeffery (Vancouver),Kira Rogers (Tofino), Gary Hynes (agencies, regional and national).250.384.9042, [email protected] departmentsBox 5225, Victoria, BC, V8R 6N4, tel. 250-384-9042, fax. 250-384-6915www.eatmagazine.ca eatjobs.ca epicureandtravel.comSince 1998 | EAT Magazine is published six times each year. No part of this publication may bereproduced 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. Allopinions expressed in the articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the publisher. PacificIsland Gourmet reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. All rights reserved.

Cover recipe pg.8

MarchDINE AROUND and STAY IN TOWNOne week left to experience this mouth-wa-tering dining event in Victoria —the city thatboasts the 2nd highest number of restaurantsper capita in North America. Over 50 localrestaurants are participating by offering three-coursemenus for $20, $30, or $40 per person,all paired with BC VQA wine suggestions. Visittourismvictoria.com for details

SECOND ANNUAL WINEMAKER’S CUP ONMT.BALDYJoin winemakers, cellarhands, vineyard man-agers, restaurateurs, sommeliers, and serversfor a getaway on the slopes. Last year Bill Eg-gert from Fairview Cellars won the race in arazor-tight finish. The timed results have beenhotly contested ever since. Don’t miss thechance to win this year. Mar. 6, 7. Visitwinebc.com for more information.

QUADY DESSERT COMPETITIONPastry chefs and cooks are invited to enter thiscompetition onMar. 7 as part of the PlayhouseWinefest. Contest is judges by respected chefsand food media; finalists’ creations are show-cased at the popular Annual Awards Lunch-eon. This year’s catch: dessert must pair wellwith Starboard, a port style wine. Winner getsa trip for two to Sierra Mountains, CA. Seeplanitbc.com for more details.

20th ANNUAL GROCERY SHOWCASEWEST2 days, 400 exhibits, 4500 industry prosgather at the showcase to celebrate the gro-cery industry in Western Canada, rub elbowsand share new ideas, and listen in on guestspeakers. For a full program, visit cfig.ca. Mar.10-11 at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibi-tion Centre.

DINING OUT FOR LIFE BCOver 200 restaurants from Whistler to WhiteRock will donate 25% of all food revenue frommeals sold onMar.12 to AIDS. All money raisedfrom this event go to A Loving Spoonful andFriends For Life -BC charities supporting localpeople living with AIDS. For a full list of par-ticipating restaurants go to diningoutfor-life.com.

ABIGAIL'S FOODIE FIXJoin Executive Chef Matthew McGinn on Sat-urday, March 14, as he teams up with localSommelier Louise Wilson for a three hourcooking class and wine seminar. Enjoy a fivecourse delectable dinner, paired with fine BCwines. Special hotel rates. $95, Abigail’s Hotel,906 McClure Street, Victoria, 1-800-561-6565/ 250) 361-1986

4th NATIONAL FARM to CAFETERIACONFERENCE in PORTLANDThis year’s conference, “Going the Distanceand Shortening it, From Farm to Cafeteria,” ex-plores the challenges and opportunities thatcome with the success of the movement. Dur-ing the opening plenary, attendees will hearfrom youth about their actions to improveschool meals. Get inspired and bring someideas back to BC! Mar. 19, visit farmtocafeteri-aconference.com for details.

VANCOUVER PLAYHOUSE INTERNATIONALWINE FESTIVALOne of BC’s favourite wine events featuringtastings, multi-course lunches, winery dinners,educational seminars, rare boardroom tast-ings, wine minglers, and grazing events. Don’tmiss your chance to taste extraordinary winesfrom BC and around the world.

[SPONSORED BY EAT MAGAZINE]Mar. 27th - Bourgogne: Tour de Terroir withMichelle Bouffard & Michaela Morris, 5pm,$60.Mar. 29th Vintner’s Brunch A wine and foodpairing extravaganza with Vancouver’s toprestaurants. Judge’s Choice Awards. 11:30 am,$129.Mar. 23-29, a full calendar can be seen atplayhousewinefest.com

YOUTH CULINARY SPRING CAMP at PICAGot a budding chef at home? Sign them up forthe Teen Four-Day Spring Break Camp at thePacific Institute of Culinary Arts. $375 includesforaging trips to Granville Island Public Marketand a Fisherman’s Wharf Tour as well as Din-ing Etiquette Workshop and a chance to cookSpanish, Italian, and French-themed menusunder the tutelage of top chefs. Mar 17-20.Visit picachef.com for details.

AprilFOODROOTS SUSTAINABLE FEAST toSUPPORT TLCTLC and local food distribution co-op Food-Roots are pairing up for this Sustainable Feast.Lana Popham of Barking DogVineyards will bespeaking. Cost is $30, call 250-385-7974 fortickets. Apr. 4, held in Victoria at the FairfieldCommunity Centre.

JAPANESE CULTURAL FESTIVALJust across the water, Seattle celebrates Japan-ese cuisine, tea ceremonies, and art. Takesplace Apr.17-19 at the peek of the cherry blos-soms along Lake Washington Blvd, whereJapan’s gift of 1000 blossoming cherry trees tothe city were planted in 1976. Visit seattlecen-ter.com for more information.

BIKE THE BLOSSOMS, SLOW FOODVANCOUVEREmbrace Spring by cycling through the cherrytrees at their pinkest peek. Farmers and eater-ies open up the doors to cyclers for coffee andtreat stops. A delicious event that truly cele-brates food in slow style. Check out the SlowFood Vancouver website for details.

OKANAGAN SPRINGWINE FESTIVALFestival begins Apr. 30 and carries on intoMayoffering a perfect marriage of wine and culi-nary tourism. 100 events celebrate the firstbuds of the grape season in the beautifulOkanagan. Check owfs.com for event listingsand details.

SEE MORE VANCOUVER ISLANDEVENTS on THE GOURMET ISLANDS

page 31

4 EATMAGAZINEMARCH | APRIL 2009

Culinary intelligence for the 2 months ahead

THE CONCIERGE DESK by Katie ZdybelFor more events visit THE BULLETIN BOARD at www.eatmagazine.ca

eat@

Cascadia

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Celebrate spring and watch the sunset on Victoria’s most spectacular seaside patio.

Enjoy the Chef’s 5-course tasting menu for just $55…the most delicious deal of the year!

Brentwood Bay Lodge 849 Verdier Avenue, Victoria BC 250.544.2079 ∙ brentwoodbaylodge.com

eat@The InternationalWine & Food Festival

Cascadia Liquor Store

Multi-course Beer Dinner at Philips Brewing Co.

ICC Holds Chef/Farmer Meet

New lounge opens at Chateau Victoria

Nichol Vineyards Wine Makers Dinner

Chef Stadtländer attends Vic Film Festival

from left:Wine agentDavid Leigh showing off his recession-proof Fuzion, a red wine fromArgentina which sells for $8.95.; Ottavio’s brought Avonlea Clothbound cheddar fromP.E.I.; and Mr. & Mrs. Cheese came from Nanaimo’s McLeans Specialty Foods.

On January 29th Cascadia LiquorStore officially celebrated the launchof their new store located in the Townand Country Shopping Centre.

Emily Austen,Assistant Managerfor Cascadia Liquor(Town and Country),Pamela Sanderson,Regional GMCascadia

The minute I entered Clive’s Classic Lounge in theChateau Victoria I thought Single Malt. That’s thekind of place this new addition to the city’s loungescene suggests. Swish meets retro with class.Pictured: Designer Nicky Proman, Michelle Le Sage& bar namesake and hotel owner Clive Piercy.

The British Columbia HospitalityFoundation Founders Dinner II: BC’sculinary elite rally to support their own

Left: chef Jeff van Geest speaks to theassembled. Right: Wild MuskoxTenderloin, Veal Jus Ravioli,Caramelized Chanterelle Mushroom &Bison Short Rib Risotto.Read the full story atwww.eatmagazine.ca

Cafe Brio hosted winemaker Ross Hackworth (r) and wineryagent Sasha McCauley (l) and guests for a 5-course dinnershowcasing the wines of this Naramata cult winery. Kickass:Venison Strip loin with Smoked VenisonMeat Balls chestnutpuree and cranberry salt with Nichol Vineyards SyrahReserve 2005. www.nicholvineyard.com

Michael Stadtländer (l) attending the Victoria premier of hisdocumentary The Islands Project at the Victoria Film Festival. With himis partner Nobuyo and Mara Jernigan of Fairburn Farm. pssst… Stad-lander is opening a new restaurant Haisai in Singhampton, Ontario.

Over 100 farmers and chefs gathered at the FairmontEmpress to network, exchange business cards and tohear presentations frommembers of the Island ChefsCollaborative.Read the full story at www.eatmagazine.ca

Addendum: Halibut season officially opens March 21, 2009

Chef Jason Liezert of Niche and Matt Philips of Philips BrewingCompany hosted a mult-course dinner at the brewery where beerwas matched with each course.Read the full story at www.eatmagazine.ca


FOOD

Here’s onediet that’snot a fad.Conside

Imagine a diet devoid of calorie count-ing and deprivation, full of enoughflavourful food to satisfy even the

most discriminating palate. A diet thatwould not only help you maintain a trimweigh but protect you from chronic disease,ward off depression and lengthen your life.Sound too good to be true?Well, this is onediet that isn’t. Garnering praise from med-ical and culinary experts alike, theMediter-ranean diet is the traditional eating patternadhered to for millennia by people living incountries bordering theMediterranean. Thediet’s emphasis on fresh, local plant foods,seafood, olive oil, spices and red wine haseven inspired a campaign to safeguard thistraditional way of eating from the globalspread of fast foods.The Mediterranean diet first attracted

worldwide attention in the 1940s whenAmerican scientist Ancel Keys discoveredthat people living in Mediterranean regionshad one of the lowest rates of cardiovascu-lar and other chronic diseases in the world.Later, in 1993, Oldways, a Boston-basedfood think-tank founded by a team of inter-national medical and culinary experts, re-leased the “Mediterranean Diet Pyramid”in an effort to help people who wanted toadopt this traditional, healthy way of eat-ing. The pyramid was recently updated toreflect the findings of ongoing research intothe health benefits of the diet. For instance,herbs such as rosemary, oregano, basil andgarlic have been added to the base of thepyramid to reflect not only their dominantrole in the diet’s flavour profile but alsotheir role as outstanding antioxidants.What exactly do these Mediterranean

folks eat that makes them so healthy? Theirdiet traditionally includes vegetables,grains, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds,seafood, farm fresh cheese, yogurt, eggsand moderate consumption of red wine. Inaddition, food is made robust with liberaluse of herbs, spices and heart-healthy olive

oil. Red meat, butter and sweets are usedonly occasionally, and heavily processedfoods are non-existent.Furthermore, when meat is included,

leaner cuts of lamb and veal are the pre-ferred choice, and portions are muchsmaller than is typical in North America. Butit isn’t just what is on the plate that setsthis diet apart. As Massimo Segato, co-owner of Italian Food Imports Ltd. on Blan-shard Street, notes, “The Mediterraneandiet isn’t a diet per se—it’s a well balancedway of eating, a lifestyle, that celebratesthe taste and flavour of food and marriesthat with reconnecting with family andfriends. Dinners aren’t rushed events—wedon’t watch TV while eating—we enjoy thefood and each other’s company.” The ex-perts at Oldways concur with Segato. Theyalso cite lifestyle habits like enjoyingmealswith family and friends and regular physi-cal activity as key health-enhancing com-ponents of the Mediterranean diet.And this traditional way of eating is

healthy. A growing body of evidence nowsuggests that following the Mediterraneandiet can help prevent certain cancers, dia-betes, cardiovascular disease, high bloodpressure, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Ithas also been found to alleviate the devas-tating effects of rheumatoid arthritis andchronic respiratory diseases like asthmaand bronchitis.Regrettably, this healthy, traditional way

of eating has been losing some groundwithin theMediterranean region itself. Likemany places around the globe, obesity ison the rise in the region due to inactivitybrought about by longer working hours,time spent in front of computers and theencroachment of North American fast food.Sensing their heritage under siege, repre-sentatives from Italy, Greece, Spain andMorocco have petitioned the UN to add theMediterranean diet to itsWorld Heritage listand grant it “protected” status just like his-toric sites. A decision is expected later thisyear. In the meantime, Oldways continuesits international promotion of the Mediter-ranean diet, citing it as “the gold standardfor eating patterns that promote life-longgood health.” Their partner website,www.mediterraneanmark.org, has a wealthof mouth-watering recipes sure to temptyou into beginning your own culinary ex-ploration of the Mediterranean. Onceyou’ve experienced these delights, you justmight want to petition the UN yourself!

For more information on which foods arethe Mediterranean Super Foods go towww.eatmagazine.ca

GOOD FOR YOU — by Pam Durkin

TheMedDiet The

Durinon Besca

blocked and town fruits anthe sackful, bism and a necwar effort.”ment labelledled every villacombat foodSixty years

more and moconcerns revclimate chanability. Add toand kids whgolden archeGarden come

Victory ThenMy grandfathyond his Eassustained a fawith cabbageberries—espvarieties of frsays Dad. Hea half-dozenbages brushiwinter Savoy.and rusted-oDiscarded wframes.In London,

Street’s railwfolks say theland and crickKing GeorgeJames’s ParkBritain also

for victory”.ploughed upCanadian polment, heldBrigade triumticulture andmagazine arSeed compastock and seeald wrote, “Iflumbia wereoccupy a spathe size of VaAt that time1,425 garden

Victory NowUrbanites agetables. Theytrucking and oand for foodnutritional vaprint and in6,000 strainsthan 15 are bFor reservations: 250.655.9700 • www.sidneypier.com

Haro’s Afternoon Tea

Take a break and enjoy an old world tradition in a casual seaside setting. The

perfect pot of tea, decadent goodies, and an ocean view to watch the world go

by. What could be better?

Where: Haro's Restaurant + Bar

When: Daily from 2-4pm

Cost: $12.95 per person (not including tax or gratuity)

Castillo CanenaThis 100% Arbequina extravirgin olive oil hasdistinctive fruity qualitiesthat combine with finesseto create complex aromasand flavours.The initial fragrance is ofgreen apples, lemon peeland herbs and this giveway to tastes of ripebanana and bitteralmonds, finished withgentle notes of spice.

Available at fine storesaround BC.


FOOD MATTERS — by Julie Pegg

Consider this a call to arms foranewkindof victory.

ets are usedy processed

is included,are the pre-s are muchAmerica. Butate that setsSegato, co-Ltd. on Blan-editerraneanwell balancedt celebratesand marriesfamily andevents—wewe enjoy theny.” The ex-Segato. Theyjoyingmealsegular physi-ancing com-diet.of eating isvidence nowediterraneancancers, dia-, high bloodarkinson’s. Itte the devas-arthritis andlike asthma

ditional wayome groundon itself. Likee, obesity isto inactivityrking hours,ters and thean fast food.siege, repre-, Spain and

UN to add theHeritage listjust like his-ted later thisys continuesthe Mediter-old standardote life-longer website,has a wealthure to temptculinary ex-nean. Onceghts, you justyourself!

ich foods areFoods go to

TheNewVictoryGarden

Cook like a Chef with a little Help from

Thrifty FoodsCooking and Lifestyle Centre

Hone your knife skills with hands on classes for all skill levels

Discover the techniques and secrets for authentic tasting ethnic cuisines

Learn how easy it is to prepare your own gourmet fare

Register today and be on your way to cooking like a chef

Visit thriftyfoods.com for a complete class schedule and registration details or call Eva 250 483-1222

Thrifty Foods Tuscany Village is located at the intersection of

Shelbourne and McKenzie, 1626 McKenzie Ave.

DuringWorldWars I, and II demandson Britain’s domestic food systemescalated. Shipping routes were

blocked and times were lean. Growing one’sown fruits and vegetables, sewing seeds bythe sackful, became both an act of patriot-ism and a necessity—“doing one’s bit for thewar effort.” Edible gardens (The govern-ment labelled them “Victory Gardens) speck-led every village and city to raise morale andcombat food shortage.Sixty years on we again find ourselves

more and more in troubled times. Modernconcerns revolve around the environment,climate change, food security and sustain-ability. Add to that the economic downturnand kids who figure food grows undergolden arches. The time is ripe for a VictoryGarden comeback.

Victory ThenMy grandfather dug aVictory Garden just be-yond his East Anglia blacksmith shop. Hesustained a family of nine almost year roundwith cabbages, carrots, beets, potatoes andberries—especially gooseberries. “And thevarieties of fruits and vegetables we grew”,says Dad. He remembers his father plantinga half-dozen early and late-harvest cab-bages brushing snow off a deep green curlywinter Savoy. And talk about recycling. Pipesand rusted-out dustbins served as planters.Discarded windows became ideal coldframes.In London, plots backed onto Liverpool

Street’s railway tracks. (Many still do.) Myfolks say the Brits sacrificed “lawns, publicland and cricket pitches for cabbages.” EvenKing George VI turned some turf in St.James’s Park for vegetables.Britain also spurred the Americans to “dig

for victory”. First Lady Eleanor Rooseveltploughed up a bit of White House lawn.Canadian politicians, less keen on themove-ment, held out, but the Victory GardenBrigade triumphed. By 1943, Canadian Hor-ticulture and Home was publishing monthlymagazine articles on victory gardening.Seed companies bought the concept lock,stock and seed packet. The Vancouver Her-ald wrote, “If Victory Gardens in British Co-lumbia were lumped together, they wouldoccupy a space approximately three timesthe size of Vancouver’s great Stanley Park.”At that time, the paper said, there were1,425 gardens on city-owned lots.

Victory NowUrbanites again are digging up dirt on veg-etables. They are standing up against thetrucking and over-commercialization of food,and for food security, increased flavour andnutritional value, a decreased carbon foot-print and increased biodiversity. Nearly6,000 strains of tomatoes exist, yet fewerthan 15 are bred commercially. And most of

those, to quote “The End of Food” authorThomas Pawlick, are tough and tasteless astennis balls.Last summer, London’s Royal Parks de-

partment resurrected the World War II Digfor Victory allotment in St. James’s Park.Tended by school groups and communityvolunteers, it became a working example ofhow to grow fruit and vegetables, attractwildlife and recycle waste. In San Francisco,Slow Food Nation revitalized Civic CenterPlaza’s wanton lawn with thousands of fruitand veggie plants. Overwhelming publicsupport, convincedMayor Gavin Newsom toextend its May-September run until Novem-ber.The City of Vancouver has not yet sprouted

seeds among the concrete in the name ofvictory. But community gardens aren’t new.Numbering around 25-30 (find a list atwww.cityfarmer.org/vanccomgard83.html),more are underway. Last year, Onni Devel-opments replaced, in partnership with Van-couver Public Spaces Network (VPSN) aneyesore bit of turf at Seymour and Davie,with 60 plots, until condo development goesahead—complete with gardening spots fortenants.More andmore, gardeners are exchanging

azaleas for zucchini, giving up grass forgreens, planting potatoes instead of pan-sies. Schools are fostering edible gardens.And the kids are keen. The Sharing Back-yards program(www.sharingbackyards.com) in Vancouver,Victoria and Nanaimo connects people yardspace to spare and those looking for a placeto grow food. Last August, Dominic andSuzanne Fielden from Rocky Mountain Flat-bread invited several urban farmer/gar-dener/educators, and media to discuss thegrowing pains—and pleasures—of cultivat-ing an edible garden. Victoria author CarolynHerriot (A Year on the Garden Path) writesGardenWise’s The New Victory Garden blogonline.Planting your own little victory corner

need not be intimidating. Claim a windowbox, balcony, rooftop, patch of yard, or com-munity plot. Start small. Sow a few herbs,maybe a pot of cool climate greens for thesalad bowl—lettuces, arugula, spinach andchard. As days become warmer and longer,pot some tiny, sweet tomatoes, Englishcukes, a few peppers.I plucked last season’s tomatoes from the

vine December 6th—just two pints for a sim-ple roasted tomato sauce. Christmas Day Ibrushed a foot of snow off the herb box.Peeking through the white stuff wereenough tiny sage leaves and rosemarysprigs for a savoury stuffing. Victory nevertasted so sweet.

For plotting and planting: useful info go towww.eatmagazine.ca

"Our Business Volume Has Increased"

Butcher shops can butterfly a leg of lamb for you. It involves removing the legbone so you can get spread out themeat and have it lookmore a like a thick-cut steak. Doing this speeds up cooking time and makes carving a leg of

lamb much easier.

Preparation time: 10 minutesCooking time: see NoteMakes: 8 servings

1 (5-6 lb) leg of lamb, boned and butterflied3/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves1/2 cup walnut halves1/4-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil4 medium garlic cloves, sliced1 Tbsp breadcrumbs2 1/2 cups beef or lamb stock (see Note)Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the mint, walnuts, oil and garlic in a food processorand pulse until smooth. Place the lamb, fatty side up, in a large roasting pan. Spreadthe mint/walnut mixture on the top the lamb. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper andbreadcrumbs. Roast the lamb for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325˚F andcook to the desired doneness, about 30 minutes more for medium rare (see Note).When cooked, set the lamb on a platter, tent with foil and rest 15 minutes.While the lamb rest, make jus to serve with it. To do so, remove excess fat from the

roasting pan. Set the roasting pan on the stovetop and pour in the beef or lamb stock.Bring to a simmer and simmer 5 minutes.Slice the lamb and arrange on a platter. Serve the jus in sauceboat alongside.Note: The best way to check lamb for doneness is to use an instant read meat

thermometer, remembering that the meat will continue to cook once removed from theoven and allowed to rest before slicing. For rare lamb, the internal temperature in thecentre of the thickest part of the meat should be 125-130ºF. For medium-rare it should be130-135°F. Medium lamb should be 140°F (60°C), and well-done 150°F.

Note: You can purchase beef stock ready to use, but not lamb stock. If want to use lambstock for the jus, ask the butcher to give you the leg bone after he butterflies the leg andmake stock with it.


EasyCarveRoastLegofLambwithMintandWalnutCrust

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hothouse, as if the gods were hoarding alltheir pleasures in one niche.Pepper ranks as the oldest spice in the

world. What’s more, it’s had a rip-snortinghistory.Indians have been cultivating the pepper

plant for thousands of years. They probablyintroduced the process to Java, where aHindu empire rose up in the ninth century.It was Java’s pepper that prompted theDutch to conquer Indonesia in 1596, and therace for spices was on. For 200 years.But pepper had been important in Europe

even in the Middle Ages. It gave excitementto the gruel that fuelled the masses,masked routinely rancid flavours and servedas prophylactic to microbial growth. TheEuropean appetite for it grew insatiable.Yet its principal importance for well over

1,500 years was as currency: peppercorns,don’t leave home without them. Attila theHun demanded his ransom for sparingRome to be paid, among other things, inpeppercorns. Pepper could pay the rent orbuy a serf’s freedom. People could even paytheir taxes in peppercorns (just don’t try itwith Revenue Canada) and lord knows whatelse: Monsieur, zat will be 350 peppercornsplus GST. Pepper was integral to any re-spectable dowry. And it was the best ofinheritances.Christopher Columbus thought he was in

India consuming pepper when he was in theCaribbean eating chilies. He was the nerdwho mistakenly put the “pepper” in chilipepper.So sail the seas and pack your holds with

black gold, matey. The trade winds sent ex-plorers and adventurers all over the globein search of pepper.True peppercorns are black, white and

green. Black derives from the near-ripenedberry, dried into little pellets of flavour thathit the tongue like exploding grenades.White comes from the fully ripened fruit,husk removed. Green peppercorns are theunripe, often pickled fruit. All of them areeasy to love, individually or in tandem.Peppercorn pretenders have their own

legitimacy. In Argentina a few years ago, Isaw pink peppercorns—not really pepper,but the fruit of the mastic tree—growingwild everywhere. Argentines treat them asweeds and find it amazing that Canadiansactually eat them.Nor are Sichuan peppercorns really

pepper, but the seeds of the prickly ash tree,rightly prized for their tongue-numbingtitillation and racy, complex flavour.

Today the pepper plant thrives through-out the exotic world. Connoisseurs havetheir favourites, invariably those fromIndia’s Malabar or southwest coast.Another favourite is the Sarawak pepper

grown in Malaysian Borneo. Some yearsago, my wife and I took dugout canoes upthe Rajang River into the interior. We spenta day with former headhunters now turnedto the gentler craft of growing pepper.Oddly, they didn’t touch a speck of their cel-ebrated crop. At the tribal longhouse, wewere mortified over a lunch of tastelessstarches with the consistency of cementblocks.What are contemporary restaurants

doing? Mostly taking it for granted, exceptfor le peppier, the zombie with the oversizedgrinder, attacking our dinners like the crop-duster in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.But pepper belongs everywhere: in soups

and salads, salsas and sauces, in stews andstir-fries, on roasts and grills, shellfish andfishes, fowl andmeats. And don’t forget thegiddying alchemy between pepper and darkchocolate. Or the way pepper ignites freshstrawberries and peaches.My favourite pepper orgy is to make a

crust of cracked black, white, pink andgreen peppercorns, and then throw in someground Sichuan peppercorns for goodmeasure.I use a ceramic grinder: it’s almost as

sharp as diamonds, maintains its cuttingedge much longer than metal and crushesmaximum flavour and aroma from the pep-percorns.Before grinding or cracking, I dry-toast

each peppercorn group until aromas beginto waft from the fry pan. This brings outresidual oils and natural flavours.The beauty of this is, the crust works as

well with a thick slab of halibut as it doeswith a striploin steak, and as well with a panas a barbecue.Lately, I’ve been dallying as I go about

this. I fill a martini glass with vodka, prefer-ably triple-distilled French. I infuse this witha teaspoon of the toasted, still-warm blackpeppercorns. I let it sit for as long as I cankeep my hands off it, the pepper oils seep-ing into the vodka. Then I strain the pepperout.This pepper martini is not for the faint of

palate. It’s startling, spicy and very, very hot.I add a squirt of lemon zest, lemon andpepper being natural lovers. And then a cou-ple of ice cubes to relieve the heat beforemy scalp catches fire and my eyes rollaround to the back of my head.What a buzz.The headhunters don’t know what they’remissing.

EPICURE AT LARGE — By Jeremy Ferguson

PeppercornPleasuresThe human appetite for these fiery little flavour bombs has provedinsatiable down through history.

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A new three course menu every month. Sunday to Thursday, only $25.

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But it wasn’t over forGreg Hayes. He knewwhat he wanted—a gorgeous restaurantwith real Italian food. He and Silvia set out to find the right location. They found itin an empty parking lot at 944 Fort St. Hayes headed straight for City Hall to rifle

through the microfiche in the front lobby and discovered that the land was owned by Grif-fin Plumbing. He made a call. It was the right call. The pair went from bank to bank seek-ing funding for a restaurant and no one would see them, until they approached TorontoDominion. They’d found some Herald Street groupies. TD welcomed Hayes and Marcolini,and the road to Café Brio was paved.

Café Brio opened in 1997 with Sean Brennan in the kitchen and Marc Morrison on thefloor. Brennan put Brio on the map with his cutting-edge cuisine, earning the restaurant“killer reviews,” says a beaming Greg Hayes. He later hired Chris Dignan as sous-chef.When Brennanmoved on, Jeff Keenliside took over, and Dignan followed in 2003. Themostrecent chef is Laurie Munn, known for his charcuterie and handmade cheeses.In 2001, a dream team of sommelier Marc Morrison and chef Sean Brennan opened

Brasserie L’Ecole, offering up superb cuisine in a chic yet welcoming French bistro, kitty-cor-ner to the Chinatown gates.Brennan had been in Victoria since 1995 originally coming here to work atHarvest Moon,

intended to be a satellite venue for the concept restaurant company Raincoastwith KarenBarnaby (The Fish House in Stanley Park) andMara Jernigan (Fairburn Farm). From therehe went to Vin Santowhere he first met Marc Morrison. Then it was on to theMetropolitan(present site of Brasserie L’Ecole). Then to Café Brio with Greg Hayes in ’97, where they“threw local in people’s faces … [like] guinea hen from Saanich,” says Brennan. When theChef Sommelier Guild offered their first sommelier program, Morrison jumped at the op-portunity and Brennan moved on to Spinnakers. Morrison and Brennan had spoken aboutopening a place together, “the kind of place we would want to go to,” explains Morrison.“We like to go out a lot, but we don’t want to spend a lot of money.” At the time, explainsBrennan, “no one was really doing French wines save the French restaurants. It was all Cal-Ital.” Brasserie L’Ecole opened its doors in December 2001 on a shoestring.With 48 seats,“it always feels like it’s full,” saysMorrison with a smile. “There’s a comfort feeling that theroom generates.” Corey Korenicki (Wren) and Jeff Heatherington (Pig BBQ Joint) are amongpast Brasserie staff.From the outset, Brasserie L’Ecole was busy, but their success was further confirmed in

November 2002 when enRoute magazine published its first “Best Restaurants in Canada”survey and the restaurant came in third. The article was picked up by the National Post.

~The story of Victoria’s restaurant scene continues to unfurl and branch out, an ebb and

flow of restaurants, staff, owners and chefs. Yet amid this, some places provide continuity.One of these is that monster of success in the basement, namely David Mincey and PaigeRobinson’s Camille’s Fine West Coast Dining, which has endured, thrived and succeededfor 20 years. Bastion Square was a harrowing site in the late 1980s when Camille’s opened.“It was terrible,” says Mincey. “Drugs, open prostitution. The staff would not want to cometo work.” The area was designed to look like a fort, which provided a fertile playground forVictoria’s underbelly. Extensive renovations to the square in 1991, with new lighting, paint-ing and paving, were more than welcome.

CHAPTERFOUR

InVictoria’sKitchensSixdegrees

“For a longthat happen?produce. Evechanged nowknowledge oMincey’s p

orative, he isattitudes havtime, to peostarted usingmaine only gPeople no

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Next Issue:

RESTAURANT CULTURE — By Gillie Easdon

Greg Hayes

Last issue we read about Victoria’scoming of age and Herald StreetCaffe. Now, we continue on as wefollow one of the protagonists in hisnext venture—which became aprolific spawning ground for the newgeneration of culinary influencers.

Café Brio, l’Ecole, Camille’s and Spinnaker’s

us restaurantThey found ity Hall to riflewned by Grif-o bank seek-ched Torontond Marcolini,

rrison on thehe restaurantas sous-chef.03. Themostes.nnan openedtro, kitty-cor-

arvest Moon,stwith Karen). From thereMetropolitan7, where theyan. When theed at the op-poken aboutns Morrison.me, explainsIt was all Cal-With 48 seats,eling that the

nt) are among

confirmed ints in Canada”tional Post.

t, an ebb andde continuity.ey and Paiged succeededille’s opened.want to comeayground forghting, paint-

rees

“For a long time wewere the new restaurant, and then one day we just weren’t.When didthat happen?” says Mincey with a smile, “[In the 1980s] there was no such thing as localproduce. Every restaurant got the same meats from the same places … but that has allchanged now.” Tipping his hat to Sooke Harbour House and also attributing increasedknowledge of how food is acquired and crafted to the Food Network and the Internet,Mincey’s philosophy of food is unyielding. As past president of the Island Chefs’ Collab-

orative, he is radiant as he speaks of working with farmers. He notes how current customerattitudes have shifted from always wanting the same thing at the same restaurant everytime, to people coming to a restaurant to see what they have that night. When he firststarted using seasonal-only ingredients, he had to take Caesar salads off the menu. “Ro-maine only grows here, what, one month a year? But people would leave the restaurant.”People no longer leave for lack of romaine; nor do they leave when presented with evi-

dence of some ghostly inhabitants; in fact Camille’s is quite renowned for its supernaturalelements. People sometimes ask to be moved “because they smell cigar smoke or ladies’perfume,” says Mincey. “Things move around—you may set up at night and come to workthe next day and a wineglass will be upside down in themiddle of the floor. There is a crispair that shifts about the restaurant, so cold you can see your breath.”Yet the warmth and passion of Mincey and Robinson’s commitment to their restaurant

and to sustainable food keeps Camille’s firmly connected to the earth.~

A spinnaker is a large triangular sail that swings out opposite the mainsail and is usedwhen running before the wind. How appropriate a moniker for the first brewpub in Victo-ria (second in Canada) currently known as Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouses.Flash back to 1982. Paul Hadfield, architect, was trolling for a location. No licenses were

available downtown and the regulations were stringent. One could only own one pub at atime and only two over a lifetime. Moreover, many communities did not want pubs—“notin my backyard.” Across the tracks on the “wrong side” of the bridge, Hadfield found asouth-facing, neighbourless, waterfront lot. “It was a no-brainer … and waterfront restau-rants had a lower propensity of going bankrupt, ” he says.But remember, pubs were different back then. Pubs did not have windows. They also did

not generally serve food, save for bar items that floated in glass jars. Hadfield convincedthe authorities that water-facing windows could not be seen into and thus won approval.At the time, the main bars were the Red Lion, the Snug (insert sigh) and The Beaver at theEmpress. Unlike other establishments, Hadfield’s vision consisted of an open kitchenalongside the bar, “for the same interaction with the cooks as you would with a bartender.”His brewpub set an impressive standard for later greats such asMichaelWilliams’s art-in-fused Swan’s (1989) andHarbour Canoe Club, which is nowDon Calveley’s Canoe Brewpub.In June of 1982, Hadfield got the licence and the cash register on the same afternoon

and that evening their then 65-seat venue was packed thanks to word of mouth and re-peated payphone use. “I wanted to raise the bar and pursue food the same way we howpursue beer … we became artisan brewers before artisan was a word being used.”In 1988, concerned and fascinated by chains, with their “better management systems in

place, better buying power and better ability to compete,” Hadfield opened two “Noggins”locations in Seattle. This was short-lived; he realized that “my job was here in Victoria …there was a huge value in being unique.”Operating Spinnakers as both a brewpub and a restaurant, Hadfield was hyper-conscious

of over-capacity and sought to diversify. Ensuing years included much renovation and theaddition of guesthouses, a specialty shop and a front desk featuring housemade choco-lates and fine vinegars. The kitchen has been rebuilt twice. The inception of the bar up-stairs finally established the downstairs as the restaurant.Over the years, Spinnakers has enjoyed the talents of Sean Brennan (Brasserie L’Ecole),

Mike Pelletier (Herald Street Caffe) and Ken Hueston (owner/chef Smoken Bones and cur-rent ICC president). The current chef is Allison Ryan. Until he received a restaurateur awardsix years ago, Hadfield admits, “I was in denial.”Like many on Vancouver Island, Paul Hadfield is smitten by the wealth of local produce

that abounds. “Victoria and South Vancouver Island are going to be world renowned. Wehave a unique set of circumstances and we need to foster them, which gives us somethingto market internationally.”

With Brio. L’Ecole, Camille’s and Spinnaker’s firmly established, we turn our attention toa few other tendrils and the people behind them.

Next Issue: Mike Murphy, Ferris’, The Marina and Pag’s


e Easdon

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Worth ItsSalt

F or decades Smithfield Hams, fromIsle ofWight County, Virginia, havebeen the yardstick by which all

North American hams are measured. Theprice tag is as hefty as the porker himself.(Having said that, it’s argued that the hole-in-the-wall, family-run Benton’s SmokyMountain Country Hams give Smithfieldpigs a run for their money, both for qualityand price.)I recall, as a teen, tucking into a wonder-

fully pungent, super salty (even after a two-day soak) Smithfield ham, fluffy biscuits, amess of collard greens and gravy while on atrip along the U.S. eastern seaboard. A fewyears later, in Europe, I swooned over shav-ings of prosciutto di Parma, superb jamónibérico (from acorn-fed Bellota hogs) andjamón serrano as well as slabs of rosy pinkIrish and English ham.I’m a ham fan.So, I wondered, was it possible in B.C. to

get good regional ham? The answer is yes,but it isn’t an easy find. Most supermarketssell mass-produced, brine-injected ham. Intruth, many pass the taste test. But a fairnumber lack flavour, are watery and/or rub-

bery. Really, nothing matches the sweet,salty taste and texture of a well-cured ham.For the skinny on ham, I tapped my Bar-

ron’s Food Lover’s Companion but got muchmore interesting information from chef RobBelcham (Fuel, Campagnolo). I knew he’dbeen known to dry-cure a few hams in hisday.Ham is cut from a hog’s hind leg. (Ham or

gammon is a corruption of jambon, Frenchfor leg). Curing ham is a centuries’ old craft.Dry-cured hams are salt-packed so the saltsaturates the meat, after which a secondcuring stage involves more salt, sugar andseasonings (usually the producer’s ownrecipe). Country hams, from the AmericanSouth, are cured then desalinated andsmoked over fragrant woods, commonlyhickory. Folks from the South seldom noshcured ham right off the bone as we mightprosciutto, preferring to fry up salty steaksfor breakfast or bake a 15-pounder for sup-per. (Things are changing, however. Smith-field’s website suggests slicing the hamvery thin and eating it “raw.)Belcham dry-cures his hams, Italian-style,

but he says, “It is not Parma by any stretch.

FOOD ARTISANS — by JULIE PEGG

Take it from a ham fan, nothing can matchthe taste and texture of a well-cured ham.

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Our climate is more humid, our geography different. Like wine, a good ham is all about re-flecting terroir.”I sampled Belcham’s “prosciutto,” aged 12 months. The flavour is almost fruity with re-

strained saline notes and mossy, forest-floor “finish.” Marvellous. Belcham, a self-admit-ted ham addict, will then use the hock to make a smoky Barlotto bean soup.Wet-cured or commercially brined hams see none or just a wisp of smoke, yet they fill the

supermarket shelves at Easter. If I can’t find a decent ham, I bake a smoked picnic shoul-der. Since I loathe pineapple/clove glaze, I coat the meat with a type of red-eye gravy. Tra-ditional red-eye gravy is a reduction of ham drippings, water and coffee reduced to a sauceand poured over ham and biscuits. My adaptation, if I do say so, is to die for. (See sidebar.)To purchase a fine local ham, check out the following. I guarantee the flavour will be as

unique and the price nowhere near that of Smithfield Hams.

Prominent Victorian caterer David Feysswears by B.C. hams from Johnston Packersin Chilliwack, available through WindsorQuality Meats (604-872-5635) in Vancou-ver, or order from Feys + Hobbs CateredArts in Victoria (250-380-0390).WindsorMeat Co. (no relation to the above)in Caulfeild,West Vancouver (604-926-6168or windsormeats.com), does a double-smoked cherry wood bone-in ham and alightly dry-cured Austrian-style schinken,flavoured with caraway seed.Both Vancouver Island and Lower MainlandThrifty Foods sell Hertel’s (1-866-723-9698or hertelmeats.com)slow-cured,naturallysmoked hams on a seasonal basis.The Abbotsford-raised pigs sold at HopcottPremiumMeats in Pitt Meadows (604-465-7799 or hopcottmeats.ca) are fed a strictvegetarian diet with no added hormones orantibiotics. For whole hams you have toorder/shop at the store on-site.

Rob Belcham cures Sloping Hill Farm (250-758-0529) Berkshire (heritage breed, black)pigs from Vancouver Island. He receives anentire piggy every other Thursday, gettingright down to butchering and making char-cuterie. Due to health and safety concernsregarding refrigeration, home curing is risky.But should you remain undaunted, RobBelcham firmly suggests the book Charcu-terie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, andCuring by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Pol-cyn, 2005, Norton Publishers.Choux Choux Charcuterie (250-382-7572)in Victoria also uses Sloping Hill Farm porkto make their beer and brown sugar"smoked ham and a brandy &molasses ham.For Easter they also offer bone-in, smokedsloping hill hams.Oyama Sausage Co. on Granville Islandcarries BC cured ham. (604-327-7404)

BakedPorkShoulder (orHam)withRed-eyeGlazeandGravy

Since this is my own recipe, the method is more of a strong guideline. But not to worry;just make sure the coffee isn’t too bitter.For red-eye glaze: (enough to glaze a large ham. Make same quantity for smaller cut.Use leftover glaze for more sauce, or freeze.)6 oz. of strong brewed coffee (or run to the local coffee shop for an Americano)4 oz. real maple syrup plus 2 Tbsp of brown sugar (6 heaping Tbsp brown sugar if youdo not have syrup)4-6 oz. of bourbon (Forty Creek Canadian whisky is a good substitute. Rye will do. Scotchnot recommended) or to taste1 Tbsp dry mustard or 2 Tbsp DijonA dash of balsamic (optional)

Place all ingredients in saucepan over medium-high heat and reduce until mixture be-comes light syrup. (Don’t worry if it’s a bit thin; it will thicken in the roasting pan.)To bake ham or smoked pork shoulder: preheat oven to 375ºF. Place ham/smoked

shoulder on middle shelf. Crank down the heat to 300ºF immediately. Bake around 20minutes to the pound. You can adjust down to around 275ºF if the glaze is getting toocaramelized. (Remember, ham is already cured and mostly, if not completely, cooked—check package.)Glaze ham. Baste frequently with “gravy.” If gravy becomes too thick, thin with water

or a splash of whisky, not coffee (too bitter).If using pork shoulder, remove the thick blanket of coarse fat and place in the bottom

of roasting pan. Roast the de-fatted glazed shoulder on top of the fatty “blanket.”Baste/glaze/bake the shoulder the sameway youwould for ham. (Optional: I remove theshoulder halfway through cooking and roast the separated fat until well done but notquite “crackly.” Great for noshing on later. I return the roast to its bed of fat and finishbaking on the lower heat—about 275ºF.)Pork shoulder throws quite a bit of fat, but the result is superb, smoky “gravy.” The

meat too will be rich and sweet/smoky and surprisingly lean as the fat drips away intothe pan. The fat and cholesterol watchers can pour over a little of the original glaze.

Romantic. This is my impression of an off-the-beaten-path Oak Bay restaurant. Toadd a bit of mystery to the romance, its name is changing: Among Friends istransforming into Nar, which is Turkish for “pomegranate.” Entering Nar is likefalling into a warm embrace on a cold day; the downstairs dining room of this

converted 1930’s house has only four tables and is lit by candles in the fireplace and tinybeaded lamps on the tables. Upstairs, visitors to the larger dining room walk past an ele-gant table with books on Turkish culture, cuisine and recipes that they are welcome to pickup and peruse. The food invites one to linger as well. “Mezes” are the Turkish version of an-tipasto; the cold mezes plate is $3.95, and hot mezes range from $5.50 to $7.50. One coldmeze is a fresh, pea-green fava puree, jauntily presented on a circle of lime. The hot mezesshow the same delicate hand: “borek” are airy phyllo pastries with cheeses and seasonalvegetables, “karides guvec” is a bubbling shrimp and mushroommixture in an earthenwaredish, and the dolma are the best stuffed grape leaves I’ve ever had, including in Toronto andMontreal. This is how I love to eat – a bit of this, a bit of that. On the entrees menu, the mixedkebab for $22.50 is easily shared, or could be one very largemeal. It boasts juicy kofte (meat-balls), chunks of chicken basted in red pepper paste, and a fan of tender sliced lamb. The veg-etables are excellent: lemony grilled asparagus and yellow peppers, and the surprise ofmushrooms stuffed with walnuts. All this is served on a large pita soaking up the meat andvegetable juices. For dessert, the delicate hazelnut and walnut baklavamust be tried, as wellas the plump dried apricots soaked in syrup and sherry and sprinkled with chopped almondsand hazelnuts. This is an exciting new addition to the Victoria repertoire of restaurants.

“Soothing” is my first impression of The Village restaurant, where bright sunlight streamsthrough a wall of windows and warms up the white décor. I was, however, there on a quietweekday, and I understand that on weekends “hopping” can be a better word for it, and forgood reason. Co-owner Daniel Blades calls The Village “a breakfast restaurant with someJewish things,” and all the breakfasty and all the Jewishy things I tried were delicious and fairvalue. The Israeli “Shakshuka” is themost unique dish on themenu; two poached eggs floatatop a blend of tomato and spinach, impeccably seasoned with cumin and garlic, and thedish is topped with triangles of rye bread. Latkes are crisp and golden, and come with sidesof apple sauce and sour cream. The “From the Sea” benedict has an assertive lemon twist inits hollandaise sauce, which pairs well with the smoked salmon. A sweeter option is the blintzplate. Four crepes are stuffed with a sweet cheese flavoured with lemon and vanilla anddusted with icing sugar. Even sweeter are the actual desserts – the special I had was a tooth-some poached pear in a port and ginger glaze, served in a swirl of crème fraiche. This elegantdessert is $6.00, and all of the other dishes I sampled are between $10 and $12. This restau-rant closes at 4:00 pm, so be sure to plan a breakfast, lunch, or really large snack beforethen.

Yes, it really is just a kitchen. Tibetan Kitchen in Market Square is a small oblong workspacewith a window looking out into the square. Devoted regulars, whom owner Pemba Bhatiagreets by name, take their meals back to their offices or schools, and then return the platesthe next day. As a person new to the system and without a downtown office to go to, I sat justoutside the opening on the sole rickety card table that seats three. The menu is a simpleblend of Tibetan and Indian dishes, reflecting Pemba’s background as a Tibetan refugeeraised in Eastern India. The Tibetan dishes are very simple. The momos, or dumplings, arerolled by hand. The most flavourful is the pork one, with its sweet accent of coriander. Thefried noodles are plain, plentiful, and healthy, making the unspiced version a perfect fit formy four-year-old while I concentrated on the much more complex curries. Chicken, steak,vegetable, or meatball curry comes with dal, wholewheat poori, basmati rice, and a pap-padum. The poori is a fried, unleavened bread, attractive to me because it’s a good curry dip-per, and attractive to children because it’s shaped like a flying saucer. The curries are thehighlight; the chicken curry is golden brown with a velvety texture and a slightly tart, citrusyfinish, and the steak curry is more like a stew, with its dark, toasty sauce and soft green peas.These curry platters are a deal at $8.25, and let’s hope we’ll see more of them in townsoon…Pemba has a proposal in at BC Ferries to be a food provider at the Victoria terminal,so let’s all keep our fingers crossed!

Nar/Among Friends, 2540 Windsor Road at Newport, 250-598-1085,www.narcafebistro.comThe Village, 2518 Estevan Ave near Dunlevy St, 250-592-8311Tibetan Kitchen, 140-560 Johnson St (Market Square at the Pandora and Store St. corner),250-383-5664


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Threeoff-the-beaten-path finds“Romantic, soothing and uncomplicated” highlight Elizabeth Smyth’s three restaurant picks for this issue

Sips

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The curry platter + soup and pot stickers at the Tibetan Kitchen

Nar - mixed kebab plate for three includes lamb, stuffed mushrooms,kofte, chicken, peppers and rice with orzo.

At The Village - the beginning and inevitable endof the smoked salmon benny with lemon hollandaise.

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SipsArtisanBistroT his is the best

thing to happen toJames Bay in some

time and is thanks to thededicated and tenaciousPaul Hadfield, proprietor ofall things Spinnakers. The in-trepid restaurateur battledthe city and the liquor boardfor over three years to createthis cozy, neighbourhoodtasting bar. My tastebudsare saying Sips was worththe wrestle, Paul.The bistro sits alongside

its sister, Spinnakers SpiritMerchants, on SimcoeStreet. It’s a long, modernbut warm room with highstools along the bars and ta-bles in the back. The entireback wall is a chalkboardwith listings of more than adozen Island cheeses, arti-san-crafted charcuterie anda dozen different wines fromVancouver Island, BC andabroad. Order a flight, by theglass or by the taste ($2

each for most tastes). Of course there’s beer; four Spinnakers ales on tap plus bottles from10 local and international brewers. Order one item or many and taste the night away. Or in-dulge in lunch with a “tostis”—a traditional Amsterdam toasted sandwich—and Spin-nakers’ seafood chowder.Sips is meant to be an experience, and the servers and the chef behind the bar can cer-

tainly point you in the right direction. Order a tasting plate for one ($9.50-$15) rangingfrom a local fish plate with apple-wood smoked trout and local oyster as well as verjus-cured wild sockeye salmon accompanied by pear and walnut chutney. Or sample a plate ofOyama Sausage Company’s red wine prosciutto with Spinnakers-ale-poached Okanaganpear and Moonstruck’s Blossoms blue cheese. Most of Sips’ condiments are made by theSpinnakers chefs: stout mustard, quince butter, cherries marinated in malt, chutneys andreductions accompany any cheese or charcuterie. You can also order by the gram and cre-ate your own experience. Hadfield loves to see strangers becoming friends as they gatherand share plates in a neighbourhood atmosphere. Go in for a taste, stay for dinner, and fin-ish with a handmade truffle. –Kathy McAreeSips Artisan Bistro, 425 Simcoe St., Victoria; open every day 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., 250-590-3515

Charcuterie plate includingOyama’s Granville island sakecured kazu, lamb salami andOyama’s grand fir prosciutto.Served with mead jelly andstout infused grainy mustard

the Tibetan Kitchen

oms,

SherriKostian

For a limited time. tapas + wine nights

�is spring, Executive Chef Dave Roger is proud to present a new tantalizing Tapas menu. Pair this with our specially priced $20 bottles of wine from our exclusive feature sheet available on �ursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

* Special Tapas menu available daily, $20 bottles of select wine features are available on �ursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm to 10pm, Mar 12 – May 1, 2009 only. Not valid with any other o�er. Promotion subject to end without notice.

728 Humboldt Street (in the Victoria Marriott)

Tel: (250) 480-3828

Yo u b o u , C o w i c h a n L a k e , B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a10524 Youbou Rd | 250-745-3388 | w w w.youboubargri l l .com

Book the “BEARS DEN” for parties up to 32!GREAT FOOD...WORTH THE DRIVE!

We will pick you up in our custom 32 seat bus drive you to our beautiful establishment feed you fabulous food & drink then dance party all night, when you’ve had enough we drive you

back home Safe and sound!

Try our ROAD TRIP EXPERIENCE!

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The mutton burger might not be the firstburger you’d think of ordering when you first

read the menu at the new Pink Bicycle, but beinga former chef and member of the I-hate-to-see-good-food-go-to-waste club, I ordered up onemutton burger, fries on the side.There’s a back story to this burger beyond it

being a mere patty made from mature sheep. Theprevious night I had watched the F Word andGordon Ramsay’s “Put Forgotten Mutton Back inthe Kitchen” rant. It seems Brits used to eat a lotof mutton until WWII when it was prolifically usedas army rations and rather disgusting in tins. Sincethen it has fallen from favour - that was until Ram-say’s quest to bring mutton back. That, and themutton in the Pink Bicycle burger comes from SeaBluff Farm in Metchosin and the gruyere fromLittle Qualicum - making it a true Island burger.So, how was it? I loved it. Juicy, not overdone,

with a pronounced lambiness without being too strong or funky. The bun, from Bond Bond’sbakery next door, was fresh, liberally sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and ably able to holdeverything together. Pink Bicycle Gourmet Burger Joint, 1008 Blanshard St., (250) 384-1008

Caffè Artigiano has arrived in Victoriaand is raising the bar on truly great cof-

fee in a city already nicely steeped in caféculture.Created by the Piccolo family, Caffè Arti-

giano originally opened in Vancouver in De-cember 1999. You may know them as thecafé that includes “latte art” on their side-walk signs. They earned their loyal cus-tomers one at a time, built largely onbetter-than-average specialty coffee serv-ices and really good mid-day meal choices.Within the past two years, the Piccolo

brothers have sold off the enterprise toEarl’s creatorWillie Mounzer, whose eye forbranding and regional expansion has al-lowed the business to take a quality prod-uct and export it from the Lower Mainland.Meantime, the Piccolo brothers, Vincent,Sammy and Michael, have been freed toconcentrate on their true love, roasting thebeans at 49th Parallel Coffee—the supplierof the very beans that fuel Caffè Artigiano.The café’s design mirrors that of its com-

panion stores on the mainland—boldcolours and leading edge Euro-urban chic.SomeVictoria residents might be remindedof the design of Torrefazione Italia: fashionforward without a trace of the cookie-cutterstyles more typically associated with chaincoffee establishments such as Starbucks.And how’s the coffee? Drawing from the

very best of the artisan and small-batchroasts of 49th Parallel Coffee, Caffè Arti-giano offers superlative specialty coffeesfrom the traditional European café menu:eight-ounce cappuccino, 12-ounce ameri-cano and latte, espresso in single or doppioand caffè macchiato the way they serve it inthe old country—perfect espresso markedor stained with a spoonful of steamedmilk.And if you are looking for light breakfasts orlunches, Caffè Artigiano sources all itsbaked goods locally, including the wonder-ful Bubby Rose’s Bakery.—Colin Newell

1140 Government St., in the lobby of theBedford Hotel 250-388-4147


CaffèArtigiano

RebeccaW

ellman

Macchiato (with heart), latte(with leaf), espresso (smallcup) put together by baristachamp Sammy Piccolo.

(250) 642-35961831 Maple Ave. Sooke

www.markuswharfsiderestaurant.com

Vancouver Island’sbest kept secret

Markus’Wharfside Restaurant

ConChef Aliso“One of the tand imaginaDevour, a newshard. Bigg lithat spent thsalt, 3 star anorange. “Ducin fat. By shefour cups of obottomed sadoes not reqmore ducky aCovered, th

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nland—boldo-urban chic.be remindedtalia: fashioncookie-cuttered with chains Starbucks.wing from thesmall-batch

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waterfront restaurant + patio

680 MONTREAL STREET VICTORIA BC CANADA V8V 1Z8 T 250.414.6739 TF 1.800.663.7667 WWW.AURARESTAURANT.CA

Spring has Sprung3 courses for $33

Floor-to-ceiling views of Victoria’s sparkling Inner Harbour West Coast Pacific Rim-inspired cuisine Sunday brunch

Large waterfront patio Gold medal chefs

ConfitCravingChef Alison Bigg’s duck confit never lasts long.—Gillie Easdon“One of the things that fascinates me about world cuisine is how somany incredibly tastyand imaginative dishes were born out of sheer necessity,” confides chef Alison Bigg ofDevour, a new bon vivant eatery and takeout nook opening April 1 on Broughton at Blan-shard. Bigg lifts a plastic-wrapped bowl from her fridge; within it nestle four lovely duck legsthat spent the night slathered in a mortar-and-pestle paste of 2 Tbsp coarsely ground seasalt, 3 star anise, 1/2 tsp Szechwan peppercorns, 3 garlic cloves, peeled and the zest of 1orange. “Duck confit resulted from visionary cooks in southwestern France preservingmeatin fat. By sheer luck it’s also intensely flavourful and wonderfully tender.” Bigg heats aboutfour cups of olive oil (not virgin as it has too much flavour) to not-quite boiling in a heavybottomed saucepan, enough to cover the duck. Unlike most duck confit recipes, Bigg’sdoes not require duck fat. “You can reuse the same olive oil and it will become more andmore ducky after each use,” she explains.Covered, the duck confit cooks on low for 1.5-2 hours. If the oil boils on low, you can use

the oven method at 210ºF for the same amount of time. Chef pokes the duck with a sharpknife. Clear liquid flows, indicating it is done.She serves her duck confit (chicken or goose are great substitutes) with orange ginger

quinoa, kumquat chutney and curry leaves or with a shaved fennel salad with grapefruitand pureed parsnips. “It’ll last three to four months in the fridge, but in my house I’m luckyif it lasts three to four hours.”When stored, duck confit just needs to be browned in a skil-let and heated at 400ºF for five to seven minutes.The duck confit is succulent and velvety. It is not quite as ducky as confit made with duck

fat, but this is the first time Bigg has used this olive oil, which she’ll hold on to for the nexttime. True to her claim, Bigg’s duck confit doesn’t last long, about an hour or so, but thetender memory of that gorgeous dish does; it’s etched on my purring palate.

Devour opens April 1 at 762 Broughton

DefendingOurBackyardReturns

The second annual Island Chefs’ Collaborative Defending Our Backyard Local FoodFestival will return to Fort Rodd Hill on May 31, 2009. A celebration of Vancouver Island foodand food producers, the event combines food sampling with educational elements includingfood demonstrations and local food information sessions. Organized by Island chefs, the eventis designed to highlight the importance of supporting local producers while showcasing thewealth of food available in our own backyard.Defending Our Backyard 2009 will feature an even greater number of food stations, and in-

formation tables and a greater variety of participating producers. Guests will taste a variety ofbites created by the Chef’s of the ICC entirely from Vancouver Island ingredients including localseafood and meats, produce from local farms, Island cheese and other local products. Avariety of Vancouver Island wines, beers and ciders will also be available for tasting. Come dis-cover where you can source local products, hear from experts on topics ranging from apples,wineries, farming, seed saving, breweries, composting, the local harvest of seafood andprocessing of meats and poultry.Highlights of the 2008 event included a demonstration seafood market, oyster shucking, a

west coast style pig roast and pizza spinning and baking in an outdoor oven. Several demon-stration farm markets, including the ICC Bastion Square Market, were set up and guests wereable to buy fresh produce from farms ranging from Sooke to the Saanich Peninsula. A selectionof speakers will again make short presentations through the day.Proceeds from Defending Our Backyard supports the Island Chefs’ Collaborative farmer

grant program which helps pay for infrastructure improvements on a farmer’s property.The festival runs from noon to 4 pm on May 31 at Fort Rodd Hill. Tickets are $45 per person

and will be available starting April 1. Event details and ticket outlet information will be postedat www.iccbc.ca. Or contact ICC President Cory Pelan at [email protected] for more information.

opens

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Have I hadmy fill of tomato water and celebrity chefs? Not completely, but more oftenthan not I prefer to skip the fancy places and squeeze my tush into a 30-seat, no-frills bistro. Apparently, so do many others. Priced-to-please, down-to-earth fare is

playing to packed houses. I’m all for relaxing with good company who’ll join me in a more-than-ample plate of comfy French or Italian fare. Is it the wobbly economy or is this just foodthat begs to be shared among friends?Until recently we’ve been happy to dim sum or chopstick our way around a lazy Susan

laden with platters of Szechwan green beans, beef with driedmandarin peel and tan-tan noo-dles amid the clatter of a Chinese restaurant (or other Asian eatery). Only when it came totapas did we venture into the world of communal dining western style.When, in 2001, Alain and Brigitte Raye opened La Regalade, (#103-2232 Marine Dr., West

Vancouver), they popped the Le Creuset lid on convivial dining. ThisWest Van bistro still bus-tles with regulars who ladle as much or as little as they please of, say, the navarin of lamb,

boeuf bourguignon or coq au vin from the heavy casserole mid-table.While spooning creamy,crisped potatoes from a separate gratin onto their plates, they praise their kids, curse theirday (or the other way ’round) and wash it all down with a pichet of red, white or rose wine.This kind of meal served family-style needs no in-depth discussion or deconstruction. It’smore about sharing good food and good times with good company.

The communal approach is now evident at many of the city’s bustling bistros. Most days,the seats at the petite, fun Salade de Fruits Café (1551 W. 7th Ave) spill into the lobby of theFrench Cultural Centre adjacent. Pascal Poutot and Antoine Bernard inject a lot of bonhomieinto juicy carre d’agneau (rack of lamb) or confit de canard. Inevitably, folks dive into oneheaping cauldron of moules with shoestring frites and mayo while pondering the Frenchscripted “carte” on the blackboard. Shared plates cost an extra three bucks, but only if thekitchen does the divvying (you can do it for free). The wine list is brief—one red/one white.BYOB is not only permitted but recommended. Corkage fee applies.

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TraceyKusiew

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Learning toShareRESTAURANT REPORTER: VANCOUVER

LA REGALADEBeef bourguignon in Staub potready to be served and shared.

BISTROT BISTRORabbit with two mustardsand white wine cream sauce.

CHARACTER

CREW

COOKING

MUST HAVE

DRINK

1147 Granvil

In European restaurants, eating family-style from oversized plates of hearty country fare has never goneout of style. Here in the new world, we’re just ... By Julie Pegg

Bistrot Bistro (1961 W. 4th) hits the sweet spot between hearty French country fare andurban refinement. While charming host Valerie Devin seats customers, husband and chefLaurent turns out splendid pots of mussels and fisherman’s stew.White wine seeps its wayinto a tender saddle of rabbit with a duo of mustards or a fall-off-the-bone spicy lambshank. House-made charcuterie, pâté, fondant and pork rillette are all listed as “the per-fect share.” Two dishes of “légumes et patates” on the side easily take care of a table offour. (The ratatouille is almost a mini-meal so pass it around.) This is streamlined cookingwithout sacrificing portion or authenticity. The wine list boasts a nice half-litre selection.Owner/chef Adam Pegg (no relation) over at La Quercia (3689 W. 4th) serves up the same

comfort and conviviality Italian-style. On a recent visit, platters of roast pork loin, debonedrabbit and fresh greens passed among the laughter, chatter and carafes of wine of ninecheery Italians. A few tables over, four folks twirled forks into a generous bowl at centretable. Sandwiched quite nicely onto a banquette, my husband, Steve, and I chatted withthe “neighbours” as we sipped our wine and split prawn-stuffed squid, tender slices ofveal tongue (a delicious gamble) and spaghetti puttanesca “our way”—a savoury, saltymedley of capers, anchovies with diced tomatoes from the “primi” menu. All “primi” come$12/17-sized—perfect for sharing. And the price is right for the house carafe, or wines bythe glass.Restaurants like these are happy bustling spaces where sharing large plates is encour-

aged. Camaraderie just happens when everyone is digging into a big plate of pasta or richstew. If the cooking doesn’t measure up, then it’s time to talk about it.


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GALADEaub potshared.

The décor is “Shoestring Budget/Bohemian” in this narrow strip of aplace: exposed concrete walls painted dark red, faux-fur-coveredbanquettes, rustic wood tables, local art. A well-stocked bar dignifiesthe front of house. The real eye-catcher is toward the rear, though. Jarupon jar of preserved vegetables lines shelves along the back corridor.Modern-cool tunes are turned up just enough to notice. Service iscasual-friendly.

After running the successful TheWood in Fernie for four years, chef CoreySullivan along with Andrea Leslie and her brother Mike Leslie, anaccountant, decided to move to the Big Smoke. Their budget demandedthey look for, as Leslie says, “an affordable place to cook. You can’t arguewith the rent,” she adds with a grin. You can’t quibble about the qualityfor value either.

Best described as BC bistro—local ingredients, rustic French fare(confit, entrecôte, canard, moules, frites, frog’s legs). Corey’s preserves(Grandmother’s recipes) add, well, a twist to the competent cooking—pickled watermelon for the steak, corn relish on the pan-seared halibut.Small Forks run $7-8$; Big Forks, $18-$24.

Small Forks: beef carpaccio with truffle basil oil and pickled beets, coldlamb loin with roasted squash and caramelized onion salad, gruyère andonion tart with pear walnut chutney. The moules in cream, herbs andtomatoes ($8.00 on Mussel and Frites Tuesdays). (Very) Big Forks: aprongs-up for the duck duo—confit leg and meltingly good curedbreast—and the vanilla-scented grilled Cornish hen.

Full service bar, innovative martinis and a dash of whimsy. Order theCerveza Float from the Hair of the Dog at Brunch list—if you dare—Cuervo gold, lager and lime sorbet. Wine list is brief, all-BC and finevalue. Wines by the glass—seven bucks (white), eight bucks (red)include the tax. Serviceable selection by the bottle. Lay down threetenners for Blasted Church Hatfield’s Fuse or six for Laughing StockPortfolio. The daily pour is Nanaimo Fat Cat beer on tap.

CHARACTER

CREW

COOKING

MUST HAVES

DRINK

Sandwiched between the GrotteNail Spa and the Space Lounge inthe 1100 block of Granville’s spottyentertainment district (zoned for,and undergoing, re-gentrification)is Twisted Fork Bistro.—Julie Pegg

TwistedForkBistro

1147 Granville St. | 604-568-0749 | Daily 6-midnight, Brunch 11-4 weekends

er gone

left: Chef Cory Sullivanand his wall of preserves


TraceyKusiew

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TraceyKusiew

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Bliss on ry

It’s toubrisket

KnowThyFarmer

I n 1988, I and other newly minted BCLDB wine consultants knocked back the uniqueAdventures on the Wine Route with gusto. Penned by California wine merchantKermit Lynch, this opinionated, witty travelogue heralded (mainly) French vignerons

whose unfiltered, unfined wines were lip-smacking samples of regional terroir. Lynch’sbook steered me (and my colleagues) away from waxing on about only famous producersand prestige labels.Somemonths later, three of us on a trip to San Francisco sought out the tiny Berkeley café

upstairs from the Hobbit-house-sized restaurant called Chez Panisse whose owner, AliceWaters, also championed the small farmer. We gave big thumbs up to a Lynch import,Domaine Tempier Bandol, made from the then-unfashionable Mourvèdre grape. Itsuntamed, gutsy style, teamed up with wild mushroom strudel, proved a food/winerevelation.Fast-forward 20 years. I am sitting at a picnic-style table, sipping a few wines in Anthony

Nicalo’s renoed older home in East Vancouver. Clean-shaven pate to chin, smart-casual inwhite Oxford-cloth shirt and pressed jeans, Nicalo is the owner of FarmsteadWines and themost wedded-to-the land wine distributor I’ve ever met. The ex-chef, born and raised inPennsylvania, gardened with his grandfather, “Papa Bill,” when he “could reliably walkabout” and grew up cooking with his grandmother. Training at the hands of some mightyfine chefs, Nicalo’s own stints include Ristorante Banfi in Montalcino and Chicago’s Tru.Two years ago, Nicalo decided to turn in his toque for wine importing. “Chef Sam Kass

[of Inevitable Table, a private chef service in Chicago] and I went to Piemonte to butcher apig named Chico from farmer/wine grower Renato Fenocchio.” It was on that trip, Nicalosays, while quaffing Fenocchio’s Dolcetto, that “I knew I wanted to import his (and other)small farm wines.” In 2006, Nicalo moved to Vancouver and set up Farmstead Wines.Just as Kermit Lynch had done 20 years before, 32-year-old Nicalo follows his own off-the-

beaten track to source and purchase wines only from growers he knows. He’s coined them“vinaroons,” an old English termmeaning farmer/winemaker. Nicalo’s philosophy is, aboveall, “reconnecting wine to agriculture.” All Farmstead wines are farmed sustainably.And like Alice Waters, Nicalo only sources the best ingredients for his stove and pantry.

On the hot August day I visited, we noshed on tiny purple, white and pink breakfastradishes as well as micro greens from his neatly cropped back garden followed by wildmushroom (from Trout Lake market) pasta (homemade pappardelle made from Anita’sOrganic Grain Mill flour). From Cioffi’s there was ricotta salata and, again from the garden,wild strawberries. The earthy noodles washed down with a ripe, rustic 2004 Domaine deCourbissac Minervois, took me right back to the now legendary Berkeley café.Nicalo and his rep Jeff Bashford steer clear of major wine shows, preferring to showcase

Farmstead wines at small-scale wine dinners with like-minded chefs, through select restau-rants and private wine shops.I try to remain faithful to pairing small production wines with simple fine food. I confess,

though, to frequent forays into infidelity. But with more distributors like Anthony Nicalo,there will be less temptation to stray.

EndnotesCheck out Nicalo’s excellent website, www.farmsteadwines.com. Frequently updated, itgives the complete Farmstead wine portfolio and vinaroon profiles, links to useful blogs,including his own, and offers recipes, videos, etc.Nicalo has also found time to launch FarmFed, a non-profit organization that connects

people to food. For now, FarmFed encourages folks to consider where and how their foodis farmed. Long-term it hopes to purchase arable land and potential urban garden sitesand lease them to sustainable farmers. www.farmfed.com.

—Julie Pegg

LOCAL HEROES

Anthony Nicalo of FarmsteadWines

regional tasting lounge

COMING MARCH 2009PORTUGAL & FRANCE

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TUGAL & FRANCEPORPOROMING MC 2009

UGAL & FRANCEUGAL & FRANCEARCH 2009G M First all-BC grocery store opens

A ngeline and James Street had an idea. They wanted to open the first full-service,BC-only grocery store in the province. It would specialize in BC foods that you could-n’t find in the regular supermarket store, yet still offering your favorite basic pantry

items. On Dec 2, Angeline and James realized their dream and opened Brambles Market inthe Comox Valley.Along with fresh, daily local produce and baked goods, a British-trained butcher does cus-

tom cutting and makes delicious homemade sausages. You can pick-up made-in-BC deli,frozen and convenience goods, too.Produce is a treat. Everything is grown in BC and is so fresh and beautiful because it has-

n’t travelled around the world. Whenever possible, Brambles chooses things grown or pro-duced in the Comox Valley, but they also get meat, produce and other items from up anddown the Island and around BC. New items arrive almost daily from over 20 Comox valleyvendors, so shopping is a bit of an adventure.The Grand Opening is scheduled for March 30- April with a week of demos, and a chance

to meet with a lot of the vendors. 244 A 4th Street, Courtenay, BC, [email protected]


This heart-clogger is the reason for the never-diminishing queues outside Montreal’s twofamous delicatessens, Schwartz’s and

Lester’s. Is there such a sandwich in Vancouver? Notquite. But pretty close.Westenders can pop into Tango’s (851 Denman St.).

No pre-prepped sandwiches but the friendly guys be-hind the counter will thin-slice 100-125 grams for stuff-ing into a large Portuguese bun. (Or you can break intoa loaf of Winnipeg rye.) The cold beef is tasty, but it’smore like corned beef (wet-brined rather than dry-cured). Scratch the creamy coleslaw but double up onthe crunchy dills.Zako’s Deli (500 W. Broadway at Cambie) is little

more than a kiosk. Salah Salah brought his love ofsmoked meat to Vancouver from Montreal where hegets pre-spiced, smoked brisket flown in weekly. Salahshavesmoist, lean, grainy brisket onto soft rye nappedwith regular mustard. Accompanied by superb house-made cabbage slaw and a dill wedge, this damn finesandwich comes small, medium and large.PHAT on Fourth (1859 W. 4th Ave.) spins off the

Yaletown original (1055 Mainland). The cheery com-munal table, oversized globe lights, a design-your-ownsandwich bar and cappuccino machine lend a trendy

touch to this sandwich parlour. Smokedmeat Benny isserved all day, but I’m there for the “Hot SmokedMeaton Rye.” PHAT flies in pre-smoked brisket fromSchwartz’s supplier. The meat gets a good rub- downwith Schwartz’s seasonings before it hits the steamtray. The sandwich: hot and spicy on crusty rye (from LaBaguette), lean ormarbled, skinny (130 grams) or PHAT(190 grams). Add mustards (hot, mild or Dijon), aStrub’s kosher pickle and homemade chunky slaw gar-nishes and the result is a concoction worth everyshekel.Kaplan’s Star Deli (5775 Oak St. and 1059 Alberni) is

the real deal. What’s not to like about a deli filled withjars of Putter’s pickles (they make the pickles servedat Schwartz’s) or Kaplan’s own, as well as gefilte fish,mustards andmatzoh. Or noshes that include cabbagerolls, chopped liver and knishes.Owner Marshall Cramer flies brisket in from Mon-

treal, from the original Lester’s supplier. (There are two;beware the pretender.) The smoked meat (hungry andnot-so-hungry) on naked caraway rye (local baker),laden with subtly spiced, well-fatted brisket welcomesits Putter’s pickle, crunchy slaw and regular mustard.Every bite is a hit of sharp clean flavours. And you gottawash it down with Dr. Brown’s black cherry soda.

The Quest:SmokedMeat Sandwich

TraceyKusiew

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Bliss on rye: Marshall Cramer of Kaplan’s with his winning sandwich

It’s tough to top Montreal hot smoked meat on rye (save for the teetering cap of fresh bread). Nothing fancy, just a stack of spicy, medium-fatbrisket, a splodge of regular mustard, crisp sour pickle, side of vinegary slaw and you’ve got the ultimate deli sandwich.— J.Pegg

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a celebration of the season.KitchenLocal

Potato & Salmon Tortilla with Asparagus & Fennel Salad

Recipes and food styling by JENNIFER DANTERPhotography by REBECCAWELLMAN

EATMAGAZINEMARCH | APRIL 2009

Early spricome alivvegetablefast-growthe gate.with last othe Island

U

ad23

Early spring is such a culinary teaser. The garden starts tocome alive and our anticipation of eating new and freshvegetables grows strong. Pointy asparagus spears,fast-growing fennel and jewel-toned rhubarb are first out ofthe gate. They're also the fixings for a Spring brunch pairedwith last of the season nugget potatoes, farm fresh eggs andthe Island's renowned smoked salmon.

Upside Down Rhubarb Cake recipes on the following page

www.eatmagazine.ca MARCH | APRIL 2009

Potato & Salmon Tortilla

This is the Spanish version of a fritatta but showcasingmelt-in-your-mouth nugget potatoes – the noble egg is reallysecondary here. Thin slices of Island smoked salmon add alocal touch to the dish. I love the versatility of this for brunch.Serve it hot out of the pan, at room temperature (my fave) ormake it the night before and serve cold. Serves 6

BC fresh yellow nugget potatoes, 16Sea salt, 11/2 tspOnion, 1Sweet smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp (optional)*Freshly cracked black pepper, grindingsIsland Farm organic eggs, 8Olive oilSmoked salmon, 175 to 200 g*

Peel potatoes, if you wish. Using a mandolin, thinly slicepotatoes – about 1/4-in. thickness. Place in a large bowl andsprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Turn potatoes to evenly coat (as bestyou can). Slice onion into thin strips.

Generously coat a large, non-stick frying pan with oil. Itshould completely cover bottom of pan in a thick slick. Heatover medium-high. When hot, reduce heat to medium andcarefully add potatoes, a few at a time. Pan will be very full.Gently stir and turn potatoes until cooked through, 8 to 10minutes. Scoop into a colander to drain excess oil, thenspread out on a large plate to cool.

Add onions to remaining oil in pan and sprinkle withremaining salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir often,until soft, about 6 minutes. Turn onto a plate and let cool.

In a very large bowl, gently whisk eggs with smoked paprikaand pepper. Add cooked potatoes (separate sticky ones asbest you can) and onion. Gently stir to evenly mix. Wipe fry-ing pan, then add another drizzle of oil and set over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add potato-egg mixture and stirpotatoes to evenly distribute. Reduce heat to medium andcook, without stirring, until centre and edges of eggs are set,5 to 7 minutes.

Loosen edges with a spatula, then carefully slide tortilla(cooked-side-down) onto a cutting board or rimless platethat is larger than the frying pan. Invert frying pan over tor-tilla, then working very carefully, flip over so tortilla turnsback into frying pan, cooked-side-up. Continue cooking untilbottom is deep golden, 5 more minutes. Slide onto a platterand top with slices of smoked salmon. Dish up with a mix-ture of sour cream stirred with chopped fresh dill, if you wish.

Asparagus & Fennel Salad

Harvested by a local farmer, slender green asparagus andfeathery fennel are just about the greenest food you can eat.This is a simple, clean salad that lets the veggies speak forthemselves. Use Babe’s Honey for the dressing or try theirhomemade Honey Balsamic Vinegar. Serves 6

Shallot, minced, 1Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, pinchesGarlic, minced, 1Balsamic vinegar or Babe’s Honey Balsamic Vinegar, 1/4 cupBabe’s (or any good quality honey), 1 tbspOlive oil, 1/3 cupAsparagus, 1 bunchFennel bulb, 1/2

For the dressing, place shallot in a small jar and sprinkle witha pinch of salt. Let stand 10minutes. Then add garlic, vinegar,honey (if using honey balsamic vinegar add half the amount)and oil. Seal jar and shake to mix.

Trim bottoms of asparagus. If asparagus is thick, peel endsto remove tough threads. Diagonally spice asparagus. Usinga mandolin or a knife, thinly slice fennel (keep core in fennel– makes slicing easier). Place fennel in a large bowl. Boilasparagus until tender crisp, then drain. Add to bowl withfennel and drizzle with half the dressing. Sprinkle with saltand pepper. Toss to evenly mix. Addmore dressing, if needed(refrigerate any leftover dressing). Arrange salad on a platterand garnish with sprigs of fennel fronds, if you wish.

Upside Down Rhubarb Cake

Garnet-coloured rhubarb is the crowning glory on these babycakes. While technically a vegetable, I often consider it thefirst fruit of the season. Serves 8 to 12

Rhubarb ToppingAvalon Butter, melted, 2 tbspBrown Sugar, 8 tbspCoarsely chopped rhubarb, 3 cups

Cake BatterAnita’s Organic All-Purpose Flour, 11/2 cupsBaking Powder, 2 tspSea Salt, 1/2 tspOlympic natural yogurt, 1 cupVanilla extract, 1 tspRum extract, 1 tspAvalon butter, softened, 1/2 cupGranulated sugar, 3/4 cupIsland Farm organic eggs, 2

For the topping, brush bottom and sides of 8 custard cups ora 12-cupmuffin tin with melted butter. Sprinkle bottoms withbrown sugar. Arrange rhubarb overtop. Place cups on abaking sheet.

For the cake, stir flour with baking powder and salt. Stiryogurt with extracts and set aside. Using an electric mixer,cream butter with sugar. Add 1 egg and beat for 1 minute.Scrape batter down from side of bowl, then add remainingegg and beat for another minute. Using a spatula, stir in flourmixture alternately with yogurt – making three additions ofeach. Batter will be thick. Divide between cups – spooningright over rhubarb. Smooth tops.

Bake in preheated 350F oven until a toothpick inserted incentre of cakes comes out clean, 25 to 30minutes. Let stand5 minutes, then run a knife around inside edge and turncakes out.

*Be sure custard cups are ovenproof. Each cup should holdabout 2/3 cup. If baking in a muffin tin, check for donenessafter 20 minutes.


*Visit FAS and try their smoked salmon or look for Treasure Island in most grocery stores.Plateware is Relections, designed by Queensberry Hunt (Nikko Company) from Puddifoot, 2375 West 41st Avenue

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4 lbs. lamb2 cups Cabe4 cloves ofsmashed1 sprig fresh1/2 cup flou1/2 tsp. kos1/4 tsp. fres2 tbsp. butt1 cup chicke1 tsp. groun1/2 tsp. gro3 LEEKS, c(use white a2 red or yel20 CRIMINI20MORELM6 RED FINGcut in half le10 BABY CASalt and fretaste1/2 cup chPARSLEY

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What’s inSeason

4 lbs. lamb shoulder, cut into 1" cubes2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon4 cloves of GARLIC, peeled and gentlysmashed1 sprig fresh ROSEMARY1/2 cup flour1/2 tsp. kosher salt1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil1 cup chicken broth1 tsp. ground cumin1/2 tsp. ground coriander3 LEEKS, cut at an angle in 1-inch slices(use white and green parts)2 red or yellow TOMATOES, chopped20 CRIMINI MUSHROOMS20MORELMUSHROOMS6 RED FINGERLING POTATOES, unpeeled,cut in half lengthwise10 BABY CARROTSSalt and freshly ground black pepper totaste1/2 cup chopped FLAT LEAF ITALIANPARSLEY

Combine first four ingredients in a largesealable plastic bag. Remove the air andseal the bag. Allow lamb to marinate 3-4hours in the refrigerator. Remove lambfrom the bag and reserve the liquid. Coatlamb with a mixture of flour, salt and pep-per. Heat butter and oil in a large Dutchoven and stir in the lamb. Cook lamb overmedium heat until pieces are evenlycooked and medium brown. Reduce heatto low, cover and cook lamb until it has re-leased and reabsorbed its juices (about1/2 hour). Stir occasionally. Add 1 cup ofreserved wine marinade with chickenbroth, cumin and coriander. Cover andsimmer 2 hours until lamb is very tender.Add LEEKS and TOMATOES and cook an-other hour. AddMUSHROOMS, POTATOESand CARROTS. Cook until vegetables aretender but still firm. Turn off heat andallow stew to rest. Add salt and freshlyground pepper to taste. Serve toppedwithchopped PARSLEY.

GET FRESH — by Sylvia Weinstock

THIS MONTH’S SHOPPING BASKET RECIPE

SpringLambandMushroomStew

GARLIC is your best ally in spring’s cold andflu season. Try it raw in dips, roasted until itis soft and mellow or caramelized intosweet scrumptiousness, and use it liberallyin soups and stews.

FLAT LEAF ITALIAN PARSLEY has a rich, so-phisticated flavour, totally unlike thesprightly taste of curly parsley. It is oftenfound in the organic section of local super-markets.

‘Tis the season for the first locally grownbaby vegetables. Annual spring treats in-clude: BABY CARROTS, purple sproutingbroccoli, tiny kale buds, tender young col-lard greens, red and yellow baby potatoes,baby artichokes, baby French green beans,RED FINGERLING POTATOES, baby patty-pan squash and tender gold and red babybeets.

CRIMINI MUSHROOMS are actually imma-ture Portobello mushrooms, and are some-times called baby Portobellos, Portabellinisor BabyBellas. These coffee colouredmush-rooms are more nutritious than white but-ton mushrooms and have a richer flavour.They are an excellent source of selenium,copper, niacin, potassium and phosphorusand a good source of iron and zinc.

The season forMORELMUSHROOMS lastsfrom mid-April to mid-June. These uniquehoneycombs have a nutty, smoky, earthytaste that marries beautifully withmeat andseafood. Try steamed Dungeness crab andMOREL MUSHROOM dumplings: A mixture

of grated ginger, cooked crab, sautéed scal-lions, garlic, shiitake, lobster and MORELMUSHROOMS, cooked in sherry, Cognacand heavy cream, and steamed in purse-shaped rice paper wrappers.

More Spring SensationsThe peak season for curly endive begins inMarch.

Now is the time to pick tender, young dan-delion leaves from your lawn. Add them tosalads, or briefly steam or sauté them andserve them as a spinach substitute.

The peak season for asparagus is fromMarch toMay. Grilled asparagus is a smoky,juicy treat, so brush off the barbecue andgrab some green or white spears. Aspara-gus tastes like spring.

Fresh fava beans are only available fromApril to June.

The peak season for artichokes is fromMarch to May.

FromMarch to June, pineapples are at theirpeak of flavour, super sweet and uber juicy.

April marks the end of the peak season forcitrus fruits. Enjoy the most flavourfulblood oranges, grapefruit, oranges and tan-gelos while you can.

Fresh fiddleheads are only available fromApril to June. These nutritious frond tips,which taste like a mélange of okra, aspara-gus, green beans and artichokes, can beused in recipes instead of artichokes or as-paragus.

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Cool weather and warmbowls of hearty soup arethe perfect pairing.

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Manhattan Clam Chowder

Recipes and food styling by NATHAN FONGPhotography by TRACEY KUSIEWICZ


me

I love soups, but especially chowders: rich and consoling, usually milk orcream-based, and enriched with a variety of ingredients from salt pork andbacon to fresh fish and shellfish.

The term chowder comes from the pot in which it is cooked. The French word forpot, chaudron, developed from chaud or “hot.” It is also related to the English wordcauldron. The modern-day word “chowder” is a New England term that originated inNewfoundland, where Breton fishermen would throw portions of the day’s catch andother available ingredients into a large pot.To some North Americans, it means clam chowder, made with cream ormilk, or Man-

hattan clam chowder, which is tomato-based. To others in themiddle of the continent,a chowder can only be corn chowder, filled with fresh whole sweet corn kernels. To usWest Coasters, it could be a thick soup infused with smoked salmon or cod. To Mar-itimers, especially those in Prince Edward Island, it’s got to be made with local pota-toes and seafood, from halibut and haddock to oysters, mussels and lobster.Last September I was fortunate to be invited to the 13th Annual Prince Edward Is-

land International Shellfish Festival as a guest media judge for their PEI ShellfishChowder Championships. Over two days, two different chowder competitions wereheld showcasing close to 24 competitors and their hearty recipes. All competitorswere required to make about seven litres of chowder—for sampling as well as forjudging. Although all of the recipes were rich with cream and butter, it was the su-perb fresh Maritime seafood that excelled—from tender sweet lobster and plumpmussels to delicate scallops and halibut.Here are some comforting chowder recipes for cool springtime weather.

Manhattan Clam ChowderA favourite of mine, this style of clam chowder is much less rich and creamy than its Mar-itime sibling. Fresh mussels can be substituted as well. If you prefer a richer base, stir insome cream right before serving. Serves 4.

6 bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces1 cup chopped onion1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1/3-inch dice1 stalk celery, cut into 1/3-inch dice2 cups diced peeled russet potatoes24 oz clam juice or Clamato juice3 cups canned diced tomatoes5 dozen manila clams, scrubbed wellChopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat a heavy bottomed stockpot over moderate heat. Add bacon and sauté until golden,about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate low, then add onion, bell pepper and celeryand sauté until soft, about 5minutes. Stir in potatoes, clam juice and tomatoes (with juice)and simmer, covered about 10 minutes. Stir in clams and simmer, covered, stirring occa-sionally, until clams open wide, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.Removemost of the clam shells with tongs (reserving a fewwith shells for garnish), then

detach shells and return clams to the chowder. Stir in parsley and season with salt andfreshly ground pepper, to taste.

Fennel Seafood ChowderThis chowder, by chef Dwayne MacLeod of Sims Corner Steakhouse & Oyster Bar inCharlottetown, won the 2008 PEI Potato Chowder Championship. Serves 4 to 6.

5 Tbsp butter1 medium onion, coarsely diced1 stalk celery, coarsely diced1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced1/4 cup flour2 2/3 cups homogenized milk1 L half-and-half cream2 1/3 cups white wine1 lb mussels1 tsp black peppercorns1 garlic clove, smashed

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1 bay leaf1/2 lb fingerling potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces1/2 lb halibut, cut into 1-inch pieces1/2 lb scallops1/2 lb lobster meat10 oysters, shelled and drainedSalt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Melt butter in a heavy bottom stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and fen-nel and sauté until onion becomes translucent. Add potatoes right after sautéing theonions, celery and fennel Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook the roux for a fewminutes. Slowly whisk in the milk until well blended. Whisk in the cream and reduce heatto low and simmer for 30 minutes.In themeantime, add 1 cup of the wine to a saucepanwith themussels and bring to a boil,

covered, until all mussels have opened, discarding any that have not. Strain the liquid andwhisk into the creammixture. Removemussels from shells and set aside, discarding shells.Add the remaining wine, peppercorns, garlic clove and bay leaf and bring to high heat, re-ducing it to half and strain into cream mixture.Add the halibut and scallops to the cream base and cook simmering on low to cook. After

5 minutes, add the lobster andmussel meat. Cook until barely done, about 3 to 4minutes.Right before serving, add the oysters and simmer until hot.

Roasted Corn and PEI Shellfish Chowderwith Pan Corn BreadThis entry to the 2008 PEI Shellfish Chowder competition was made by Vancouver chefJohn Clark, formerly of Diva at The Met, the Wickaninnish Inn and Chateau Whistler andnow product development chef for the Joeys Restaurant Group. Serves 6 to 8.

To make stock:1-1 1/2-pound Dungeness crab, cooked and meat removed, reserving shells3 Tbsp olive oil1/2 cup chopped onion1/2 cup chopped carrot1/2 cup chopped celery1/2 fennel bulb, chopped1 small tomato, diced1 tsp fennel seeds1/4 tsp chili flakes1/3 cup tomato paste1/2 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped1/3 cup white wine1 L fish stock1 L chicken stock

Chop the crab shells. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy bottom stockpot.Add the crab shells and sauté until a nice aroma develops, about 5minutes. Add the onion,carrot, celery, fennel, tomato, fennel seeds and chili flakes and sauté until soft, about 5minutes. Add the tomato paste and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add jalapeno pepper andsauté. Add the white wine and deglaze, reduce to dry. Add the fish and chicken stocks,stirring well. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. Strain stock anddiscard solids.

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces1/2 cup chopped onion1/2 cup chopped carrot1/2 cup chopped celery1/2 fennel bulb, coarsely chopped5 Tbsp butter5 Tbsp flourShellfish stock (recipe above)2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch diceFresh cut kernels from 2 fresh cobs of corn3/4 lb clams, steamed and meat removed, reserving juices3/4 lb mussels, steamed and meat removed, reserving juicesReserved crabmeat1 sprig tarragon, chopped1 to 2 cups whipping cream

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Heat a heavy bottom stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and sauté until thefat has rendered and the bacon is crispy. Add the onions, carrots, celery and fennel; sautéuntil soft. Add the butter and melt. Add the flour and cook to form a roux. Slowly add theshellfish stock and reserved clam and mussel juices, whisking until smooth.Bring stock to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook until just

cooked. Sauté corn kernels in a preheated skillet with a small amount of olive oil untilgolden brown; add to soup. Slowly stir in cream until desired consistency. Season withTabasco sauce, salt and freshly ground pepper.Add the crabmeat to the soup right before serving. Divide and place seafood into warm

soup bowls, ladle in hot chowder and garnish with chopped tarragon. Serve with warmcorn bread (recipe follows).

Cheesy Herbed Corn Bread:This can be prepared in advance up to three hours ahead and kept uncovered at room tem-perature; reheat in microwave or covered in a conventional oven.

1/4 lb unsalted butter, melted, plus butter to grease the baking pan1 1/4 cups cornmeal1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour3 Tbsp honey1 1/2 tsp sea salt1 tsp baking powder1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (thawed and drained)1 cup finely chopped green onions, green part only1 small red pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice1/2 cup chopped cilantro2 Tbsp finely chopped jalapeño with seeds, or more to taste2 large eggs, slightly beaten1 cup buttermilk1 cup shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Generously butter or grease a 9-inch glass or metal pie pan and setaside.In a large mixing bowl thoroughly combine the cornmeal, flour, honey, salt and baking

powder. add to wet ingredients. Add the corn, green onions, red pepper, cilantro andjalapeños, mixing well. Mix together the melted butter, eggs and the buttermilk. Slowlystir into the dry mixture and mix just until large lumps are broken up and the liquid isblended in. Do not overmix.Add half of the batter to the prepared pan. Sprinkle with three-quarters of the cheese,

then spread the rest of the batter over top and smooth with the back of a spoon. Sprinklewith remaining cheese.Bake the cornbread until it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the thickest

part comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit 30 minutes beforecutting into wedges for serving.

Smoked Salmon ChowderAlthough we have wonderful seafood chowders in our local restaurants, smoked salmonchowder has become a popular staple on many menus. Serves 4 to 6.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and gar-lic and sauté until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the potatoes, celery, salt and pepperand cook for about a minute. Add broth or stock and simmer until the potato is tender,about 15 minutes.Stir in the tomato paste, cayenne andmilk until well mixed. Add the salmon and bring the

mixture to a simmer (do not allow to boil). Stir in the cream. Remove from heat and garnishwith chopped chives and dill.

FOR MORE OF NATHAN FONG’S CHOWDER RECIPES VISITWWW.EATMAGAZINE.CA

1 Tbsp olive oil3 medium leeks, washed and sliced (about3 cups)1 clove garlic, minced1 large russet potato, peeled and diced into1/2-inch pieces1 stalk celery, chopped1/2 tsp salt1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 cups fish stock (or substitute chickenbroth)2 Tbsp tomato paste1/4 tsp cayenne pepper2 cups homogenized milk8 oz smoked salmon, broken into smallchunks1/2 cup whipping creamChopped chives and dill, for garnish


THE GOURMET ISLANDSADVERTISING FEATURE

The South Island is known for thewide variety and quality of itsrestaurants. Walking down thestreets of Victoria, smells en-chant you and entice you towalk through the doors and

pamper your appetite. Fine dining is the order ofthe day, and in locales such as Sooke,Metchosin, Saanich and Sidney, there issomething for the epicurean in all of us. PacificNorthwest cuisine combines the finest ingredi-ents on land with the freshest items of the sea,and brings culinary masterpieces to the tablewith flavour, colour and exciting textures.

The Gulf Islands are fast becoming a culinary and agri-tourism destination. In these small artisancommunities, including Salt Spring,Galiano and Pender Island, see first hand how local cheesesand wines are made. The cottage industries specializing in organics, locally grown produce and thehighest quality delicacies are amainstay in the region.Come to the area and samplewood-fired breads,fresh cheeses and handmade charcuterie.The Cowichan Valley region is a culinary and libation hot-spot of Vancouver Island. Some of thefinest wines and ciders in British Columbia are produced in this region, and several companies offertasting tours, allowing you to sample delicious beverages, often paired with regional cheeses andcuisine. The meaderies in the Cowichan area are also buzzing with activity, and offer visitors an op-portunity to experience the centuries old brewing technique, all the while savouring the sumptuousamber liquid.The Central Island, including Nanaimo and Parksville, is known for its unusual agriculturalofferings, such as emu, lamb and goat. Take part in weekend cooking classes and see how to prepareorganic produce and game. Take a guidedmushroom picking tour in the area, and creatememorabledishes from items you’ve foraged from the damp Vancouver Island soil. Culinary and food-basedfestivals are also popular in the mid- Island region. Come get a taste of the best Nanaimo has to offerat Bite of Nanaimo, a sample of the area’s finest restaurants, held annually in September.If you love the coast, and have a passion for fresh seafood, the North Central Island is calling. Freshseafood, particularly oysters, is a favourite among locals and visitors alike. In the areas from FannyBay toOyster River, many restaurants offer their interpretations of how an oyster should be served.From cold, freshly shucked oysters eaten raw, to crisp deep fried oysters with a spritz of lemon andremoulade, you’ll find delectable dishes to tempt your palate. The cities of Courtenay and Comoxoffer an selection of restaurants, cafes and pubs that easily keep pace with larger cities. This region isin the process of developing a unique local cuisine based on its surrounding farms and wineries.The North Island region has a flavour all its own. Rich in first-nations history, the seafood caughthere, and their unique preparations, are a must-see for any culinary adventurer. Take a trip to FortRupert, just outside Port Hardy, and experience the traditional native methods for curing andsmoking salmon. Step inside a traditional big house in Alert Bay and let the smoke aroma embraceyou as salmon is cooked on cedar planks and smoked between cedar trellises over an open flame. Take

Start at the southern tip of Vancouver Island and work your way north as youembark on a culinary journey that is a feast for both the stomach, and the senses.Youwill encounter a diverse foodie landscapemadeupof farm-to-table restaurants,small estate wineries and sustainable farms. Youwill find a culture that takes pridein its stewardship of the land and its bounty of seasonal foods.

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ISLANDEVENTSAMUSE BISTRO ELEPHANT ISLAND VINEYARD DINNERJoin Chef Bradford Boisverte and Leah Bellerive for unique French-inspired dishes created fromthe bounty of local Vancouver Island producers. An elegant, intimate atmosphere, great place fora romantic couple. Mar. 5 at Amuse Bistro in Shawnigan Lake.

ISLAND on the EDGE SCREENINGHow precarious is our local food supply on Vancouver Island? Film producer Nick Versteeg willbe in attendance to discuss ideas. Light refreshments offered, farm and plant displays. Mar. 11,7pm at the EMCS theatre in Sooke. By donation.

The CHEMISTRY of EGGS at FAIRBURN FARMChef Mara Jernigan unlocks the secret of using eggs for perfect baking, soufflés, ice cream, andother tricky feats. Finally the mysteries of the egg revealed! All this at beautiful Fairburn. Call250-746-4637. Mar. 15.

EDIBLE BC TOURS of the COWICHAN VALLEYIn April/May 2009, Edible BC will bring tours to the Cowichan Valley with float plane flights outof downtownVancouver directly into Victoria. Here, Edible BC’s CommunicationManager / Som-melier, Treve Ring, will meet the group and lead them up to the CowichanValley for the day wherethey will tour wineries, fromageries, farms, vinegaries, and so muchmore. Check edible-british-columbia.com for dates.

DEERHOLME FARMWILD THINGS COOKING CLASSChef Bill Jones conjures up steamedmorel stuffed with leeks and Dungeness crab, stinging net-tle soup, smokedmussels, grand fir crème fraiche andmore wild concoctions from local forages.Apr. 18 at Deerholme Farm near Duncan, call 250-748-7450.

ATMCLEAN’S SPECIALTY FOODSSaturday March 14th will kick off celebrations of St. Patrick's Day with dancers from theBrigadoon Dance Academy and piper Bill Poppy performing on the beautiful Irish pipes fromnoon til 3. Come join in the fun and taste some delicious Irish cheeses and tasty treats accom-panied by lots of Irish blarney! Also: Monday April 6th marks the 17th Anniversary of McLean'sSpecialty Foods. 426 Fitzwilliam St., Nanaimo, 250.754.0100

TERRALICIOUS GARDENING and COOKING SCHOOLEarly Spring session start Mar. 30 and go ‘til May 9. Learn how to plant a garden in your own back-yard, tend a market garden, preserve your harvest, and cook an elegant meal with Tina Fraser-Baynes and Dayle Cosway at beautiful Haliburton Farm just outside Victoria. Visit terralicious.cafor details.QUEBECWEEKApril 14-18 This is the week when at Ottavio’s celebrates all things Quebecois in both the deli-catessen & cafe. Tastings & specials on all Quebec products in the deli including maple syrupstraight from the sugar shack, game pates, duck products & a huge range of artisan Quebeccheeses. Don’t miss maple syrup tarts, tourtiere & Ottavio’s own poutine with hand cut fries &local curds.The Big Cheese Cut Saturday April 25th. This year Ottavio’s will do battle with the Italian king,the 35kg Parmigiano Reggiano Vacca Rossa (extra aged), the 38 kg Swiss Cave Aged Gruyere& the behemoth of them all, the 100kg Swiss Organic Emmenthal.2272 Oak Bay Ave.

BUZZ café


A Round-Up of News fromAround the Province

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Vancouver IslandNANAIMO, COWICHAN&OCEANSIDEMamma Mia this is a great new addition to Nanaimo’s downtown food scene! While I do not typicallywax Homeric about Greek food, I will about Asteras Greek Taverna [347 Wesley Street, Nanaimo,Tel: 250-716-0451] in the Old Quarter of the city. A few noshing reviews from friends convinced me togive this new place a try. Imagine my surprise to walk in and find folks I knew at the helm. The owners,Peter Paraskevopoulous and Greg Roumanis worked (for over 23 years) at one of the best Greek restau-rants in North Vancouver, Pasparos Taverna. It was a haunt I frequented when I lived there. Their chef,Nicole Sullivan, worked with them in Vancouver and followed Peter and Greg to Nanaimo. Lucky us!This team brings a wealth of experience cooking/serving top notch Greek food. If they could manageto have waves crashing against the side of the old house in which they are located, it would feel as ifyou were sitting at a waterfront restaurant in Mykonos. The roast lamb is fall-off-the-bone sumptuous andthe half chicken is crispy, lemony, and garlicky and lick-your-fingers bliss. The room is truly, madly, deeplyromantic (think Shirley Valentine) with ambience up the wazoo. The table service is friendly, knowl-edgeable and efficient. The portions are generous and the wine list, though not extensive, is decent. Theproprietors are good at their craft. Go with a group so you may sample lots of the appetizers, dips andhot mezethes. Sharing is a definite at this place. For those who have trouble with stairs (and there aremany in this heritage house) use the side entrance up a long walkway that gets you easily in throughthe back door. Plate smashing is optional. Opa!Another new entry into downtown Nanaimo’s food scene is Sukkho Thai [123 Commercial Street,Nanaimo, Tel: 250-591-8424]. Pay attention when you walk in the door. Look to your left at the elab-orately framed picture of The King, Elvis meeting the other King, as in the King & Queen of Thailand. GiapHengthiansri and wife Nan Methathanasakun used to own the Thai Bistro on Johnson Street in Victo-ria, but a drive Up-Island last year convinced them to move their lives and fabo food to Nanaimo. BothGiap and Nan come from Bangkok families with long traditions of great cooks, but it is Giap’s motherwho’s given away most of her kitchen confidential secrets to Nan, the chef at Sukkho. So serious are thesetwo about serving authentic Thai food, they travel back to Thailand every January and spend the monthshopping for spices and ingredients not available in Canada. All the dishes served start with housemade sauces and everything is from scratch. No MSG here. The red snapper fish cakes have an intenselemon grass flavour and diverse complexity. The salmon panaeng is celestial and though the serving ismonstrous, you will be tempted to wrap your arm around the plate to ward off attempts by others at thetable to give it a try. However, the hands-down winner is the Lanna chicken with sugar roasted chilies.It is like a nuclear explosion of hot in your mouth and then mellows out to a sweet even hum; a tune youwill want to sing again and again.Chef BruceWood arrived on Salt Spring Island about 20 months ago and the last time he sat down wason the plane coming west from Ottawa. Wood was chef at The Rock Salt in Fulford Harbour for about10 months (new & very talented replacement chef is Rafael Flores of Mexico City). In the summer Wooddabbled in high-end catering and ran a field-to-plate cooking school, but his most recent venture has puthis name in lights, literally. Bruce’s Kitchen [106-149 Fulford-Ganges Road, Salt Spring Island Tel: 250-931-3399] has joined the line-up in restaurant row across from Market Square in downtown Ganges.Provençal yellow walls, crisp white tiles and harvest table group dining (seating for 8-12 only) give this

6560 Metral Drive, [email protected]/carrotontherun

6560 Metral Drive, [email protected]/carrotontherun

Nanaimo’s Best Gourmet Deli…Nanaimo’s Best Gourmet Deli…

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new spot the feeling of comfort and joy. Along with business partner Matt Salo, their food philosophyis based on, “Eat here for lunch, take us home for dinner.” Oh the smells when you walk in the door! Per-fect roast chicken permeates the nostrils (a fragrance upon which I personally think Coco Channel shouldhave invested much more development time) and is accompanied by an elixir of other enticing aromas.Lunch is inventive local fare using as much island grown produce as the season will allow. Dinner is ina paper bag and walks out the door with you for home-bound “show & crow and never-tell-where-you-got-it.” They also sell soups, stocks and seasonal specialties. —Su Grimmer

COMOXVALLEYMichelle Mustvedt is the new General Manager at The Tasting Room& Liquor Store [#4 - 2253 SouthIsland Highway, 250-830-WINE (9463), www.tastingroom.ca]. She joins host Mario Balasta and ChefCarol Kopp to deliver some great wine and food experience at Willow Point Village, just south of Camp-bell River. I recently enjoyed Chef Kelley Lane’s Cortes Island mussels at Fusilli Grill [4- 220 DogwoodStreet, Campbell River 250-830-0090 www. fusilligrill.bc.ca] and the Grill’s luncheon specials are al-ways worth a visit. In Courtenay Chef Drew Noble and his partners, Maureen and Dale Roberts, havere-debuted theOld House Restaurant [1760 Riverside Lane, Courtenay, 250-338-5406]. To mark the35th anniversary of the opening of the original Old House the new menu will feature some “rememberwhen” items. The mom and pop shop at Bisque [14th and Cliffe Ave., Courtenay 250.334.8564) hasgrown to six staff and are getting good reviews on the street. The Union Street Grill & Grotto [477-5th Street, Courtenay 250.897.0081] has introduced a new menu and given itself a facelift. Grottomotto: “coffee by day, martini by night.” Live music at the Grotto on most Friday evenings.Beyond the Kitchen Door [274B 5th St, 250.338.4404] continues its celebration of local chefs in

March and April: Linda Shaben (new owner of Cumberland's Tarbell’s Restaurant [2705 Dunsmuir,250-336-8863]), Emil Shellborn (Thyme on the Ocean 1832 Comox Ave, Comox 250-339-5570),Jim Lalic (Clove's Catering 250-334-9444), Christine Lilyholm (North Island College’s CulinaryArts Program 250-923-9746), Carol Kopp (The Tasting Room), Michael Kono, and Steve Dodd(Bisque) are featured this spring. After a winter break, Chefs Jon and Paul are bringing in a new menuat Atlas Café [250-6th Street, Courtenay 250.338.9838]. Look for more proteins and a changing thepasta selection – and fresh sheets with lots of produce directly from local farmers. March 6th also seesZizi's Eastern Mediterranean Specialties [441B Cliffe Avenue 250-334-1661] reopen after theirwinter break. Winter was a busy time at Crown Isle Resort’s Silverado Steakhouse [399 ClubhouseDrive, Courtenay 250-703-5050]: they just completed the annual “$29 for 3 course” program withgreat word-of-mouth reviews and now Chef Norman Müller is rolling out a new Spring menu.Chef Troy Fogarty is hosting Chef’s Table events at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort and Spa

Edo not typicallyreet, Nanaimo,onvinced me tom. The owners,st Greek restau-ere. Their chef,aimo. Lucky us!could managewould feel as ifsumptuous andmadly, deeplyriendly, knowl-, is decent. Theizers, dips and(and there areasily in through

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Chef Owner Ronald St. Pierre C.C.C.


[4330 Island Highway, Courtenay 250-334-9600 Kingfisherspa.com] on March 5th and April 2nd. Thurs-day's nights also feature a complimentary lobster tail per person with an appetizer and entrée order. In-spired by a recent trip to India, chef Nicola Cuhna is treating patrons to new uses for fresh curry leaves,black cardamom, and pomegranate molasses at Cumberland’s The Great Escape [2744 Dunsmuir Street,www.greatescape-cumberland.com, 250-336-8831]. In Comox at Avenue Bistro [2064 Comox Ave,250-890-9200 www.avenuebistro.ca], Chef Aaron Rail has been busy building relations with local pro-ducers. Look for seasonally inspired menu changes, as well as a reprise on the recently finished March 2ndwine makers’ dinner.Otter's Kitchen Store [250-339-1153] is moving to a more visible location, kitty-cor-ner to The Lorne Hotel (a good place for lunch when in Comox at 1770 Comox Ave. 250-339-3000).Dough Diva Carol Spencer has made a bold move with Wild Flour Organic Artisan Bakery 221AChurch Street in Comox [250-890-0017, www.wildflourorganicbakery.com]: eschewing the costs of run-ning a retail outlet she is now doing free home deliveries, Farmers Markets, and offering classes at the bak-ery location. Check the website for details – and plug into her new blog athttp://wwwwildflourorganicbakery.blogspot.com. —Hans Peter Meyer

TOFINOWith spring just around the corner, Tofino and Ucluelet welcome new restaurants and fresh faces to the din-ing scene. Black Rock Oceanfront Resort, the West Coast’s newest full service luxury Resort opened itsdoors in mid January. Located on a stunning rocky edge in Ucluelet, Black Rock Resort features 133 suites,a 90-seat oceanfront restaurant, Fetch, 50-seat oceanfront lounge, Float, a wine cellar available for pri-vate parties and events, conference and banquet facilities for 100+, and a full service destination spa. Afteran evening of dining at Fetch, I am eager to return for more melt-in-your mouth braised bison short ribs andlamb sirloin. Featuring the cuisine of Executive Chef Andrew Springett, most recently of Innvision HospitalityResource Group and former Executive Chef of the Pointe Restaurant at the Wickaninnish Inn, ingredientsare sourced locally whenever possible and everything is made in house. The team, lead by Hotel Manager,Carly Hall, (formerly of Long Beach Lodge Resort) also includes Brent Baker and Simon Gillet (both fromMiddle Beach Lodge). Black Rock Oceanfront Resort is the sixth property opened and managed by Bou-tique Hotels & Resorts of British Columbia. For more information go to www.blackrockresort.comNew to Tofino, Chef/Owner Vincent Fraissange brings a fresh face and menu to the Spotted Bear Bistro,located at the old RainCoast Café on 4th Street. (The RaincCoast Café has closed the doors after 11 yearsof success, and will be missed by many.) After an apprenticeship at Le Crocodile in Vancouver, Fraissangeworked at both Feenie’s and Lumiere, and now brings his passion to Tofino. While still under renovationsas I write this, the Spotted Bear Bistro will be open for dinner this spring; breakfast and lunch will followfor the summer season. With a French inspired menu, we will look forward to change in Tofino. For moreinformation call 250 725 2215. Beginning in February, The Pointe Restaurant’s Executive Chef JohnWaller and Restaurant Chef Nick Nutting will have introduced their Sunday Brunch. Brunch is open toboth guests of the Inn and the public, featuring traditional and non-traditional a la carte menu items, withhighlights of local ingredients from Vancouver Island purveyors, including Medicine Farms (Barkley Sound),Nanoose Farms (Nanoose Bay), Sloping Hill Farm (Nanaimo) and Wildside Seafoods (Tofino). For more

information go to www.wickinn.com The Pointe Restaurant will also be hosting its annual fundraising din-ner for the 21st Annual Pacific Rim Whale Festival, March 14 – 22. Don’t forget to check out the everpopular Chowder Chowdown, hosting more than 500 guests, as well as the Annual Martini Migration,where you will find all your favourite restaurants competing for best chowder, or best martini! For more in-formation go to www.pacificrimwhalefestival.comAnd finally, with the absence of the Tofino EATBuzz for January/February, congratulations to Chef Jesse

Blake of theWildside Grill for winning the People’s Choice Award at the 12th Annual Clayoquot Oys-ter FestivalGala! The Juried Prize went to Chef Joshua Anker of Long Beach Lodge Resort and Best Pres-entation went to Chef John Waller of The Pointe Restaurant. —Kira Rogers

VICTORIASpring is in the air! And for Victoria’s seasoned and novice gardeners there is a plethora of classes, tools,and programs to help you get your garden growing. For those who need a little space to grow, check outLifecycles Sharing Backyard Program at sharingbackyards.com to find a backyard in your neck of thewoods that is available for gardening. Or, if you’ve got ample space and would like to donate that to akeen gardener, contact Lifecycles to let them know and they’ll put you on the map. Peruse heirloom fruitand vegetables varieties like black gypsy tomatoes or dragon’s tongue beans in the Seeds of Victoria2009 Catalogue. Find them at Dig This shops around Vancouver Island and Plenty on Fort Street or orderfrom the catalogue online at earthfuture.com. March 10th through April 7th, Camosun College is offer-ing courses on Organic Gardening and Increasing Your Yield taught by local garden gurus, Tina Fraser-Bynes and Mary Alice Johnson. Tina will also be offering classes for the market or personal gardener atHaliburton Farm just outside of Victoria. Or if you’re closer to Sooke, the Sooke Food CHI is hosting gar-den classes at their CASA site. Call 250.642.6371 for details. Youths interested in learning to grow foodand be involved in Vancouver Island’s food system, can sign up for Lifecycles six-week Youth and AgricultureWork Experience Program from March to April. The program teaches basic farming practices, small scalefood processing, food security basics, and introduces participants to local food businesses and farm to as-sess a match for a full-time work experience placement.If you’re more interested in the eating part than the growing efforts, note that several pocket markets have

reopened for the Spring after brief winter closures: Fernwood’s Community market is open Tuesdays 2:30to 5:30 at the Gladstone Café, the UVic Student Centre market is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30to 4:30, and the market at the Cedar Hill Rec Centre is now open Wednesdays from 10:00 to 1:00. Abrand new pocket market has just opened at Cliff Leir’s new bakery Fol Epi at the Dockside Green; checkit out Saturdays from 10:00 to 2:00. Don Genova’s course on Exploring Local Foods taught at the Universityof Victoria may suit your tastes. There may still be room by March 1st if you contact Heather McCrae [email protected] soon.In restaurant news, make your way over the blue bridge to for a fantastic cup at Caffe Fantastico’s new

location in the dockside green, right in front of Cliff Leir’s recently opened Fol Epi. The new café will bemanned by Fantastico’s brilliant baristi and boasts some shiny new equipment, so expect excellence.OohLa La Cupcakes quietly opened up under the radar at Hillside and Cedar Hill, but is becoming popular

just in time forsigner/cake ba(check out theRead all aboutis serving up edthe evenings. Vannounce its suaround VictoriaTLC. The new Cmelier Pamelaits and wines.Paprika Bis

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f classes, tools,row, check outour neck of theonate that to ae heirloom fruiteds of VictoriaStreet or orderollege is offer-us, Tina Fraser-al gardener atI is hosting gar-g to grow foodand Agricultureces, small scaleand farm to as-

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just in time for Easter cupcakes and Spring parties. Passion For Cakes, is the creative endeavour of de-signer/cake baker Corina. Divinely delicious and over-the-top artistic cakes served with a dash of kitsch(check out the Elvis cake), stunning and elegant, or just plain flabbergasting (view the Red Purse cake).Read all about it at passionforcakes.com In Fernwood’s bustling square, the newGreen Goddess Caféis serving up edible flower salads and espressos during the day—and their house specialty, absinthe, inthe evenings. Vista 18 is unveiling a fresh new Spring menu on April 18th. Accent Inns is pleased toannounce its support of The Land Conservancy which is working hard to preserve agricultural landaround Victoria, such as Madrona Farm. $5 of every room reserved at Accent Inn will be donated toTLC. The new Cascadia Liquor Store has just opened its doors in the Town and Country Mall with som-melier Pamela Sanderson as Regional General Manager. The store will focus on island-produced spir-its and wines.Paprika Bistro has a new owner with Oak Bay resident Geoff Parker assuming the reins of this

beloved Estevan Village institution mid January. Former owners Linda and George Szasz have decidedto concentrate on Stage, their Fernwood restaurant. Says Parker, “ I have always wanted to be a partof the Oak Bay business community. I live nearby so Paprika is a perfect fit for me. I plan to continue thegood work of the Szazs’s in providing a casual/fine dining experience that supports local farms, winer-ies and the Oceanwise sustainability philosphy.” Chef Anna Hunt, who moved from Montreal and theTaverne Sur Le Square to cook at Paprika, stays on as chef as does most of the staff. 2524 EstevanAve., 250-595-7424.A hearty congratulations goes out to Jaswant Bains, 71, Cook's Helper at the Blue Crab Bar & Grill,

who won the prestigious Sterling Service Award of the Year in the culinary support category at thisyear's award ceremonies. Jaswant, who has been with the Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel & Ma-rina for seventeen years, is affectionately known as "Mama" to hotel staff and is considered to be theheart and soul of the hotel's kitchen. She often takes young apprentices under her wing and teachesthem how to prepare exotic Indian and Asian dishes. Her trademark dish is featured on the Blue CrabBar & Grill lunch menu listed as “Mama's butter chicken.” And congratulation to Spinnaker’s as well; forthe second year in a row, Spinnakers Gastrobrewpub and GuestHouses has been named BC’sBest Brewpub in the Northwest Brewing News (NBN) Reader’s Choice Awards. This is the third time infour years that Spinnakers has been given the award. Restaurant Matisse has again been awardedfour stars by the prestigious Mobile Travel Guide. They also have a new chef, Anthony Hodda, who hashas developed a new spring menu that updates and modernizes the French classic dishes that Matisseis known for. Hodda cooked at Bishop’s in Vancouver and most recently at Dunsmuir Lodge.—Katie Zdybel

MainlandVANCOUVERThe news media sounds like Chicken Little with its incessant “the [economic] sky is falling” squawking.And possibly disaster looms. But for now Vancouverites diners and restaurateurs are a resilient lot. Weare still eating out and chef/owners are offering menus for less coin. Dine-out saw participating restau-rants pack ‘em in like sardines for $18, $28 and $38 prix fixes. Five of us got our fix, though, with aTuesday night tour to a few non-subscribers in and around Gastown. Just over a year and half old now,the kids, Boneta and Cobre (part of dine-out but no reserves at the bar) are doing all right. Bar guy MarkBrand, wine guy Neil Ingram and chef Jeremie Bastien tasted us through bourbon-based cocktails, Bar-bera, buttery pork belly and bison carpaccio. Meanwhile Stu Irving over at Cobre wowed my buds andmy taste buds with prawn-topped cornmeal arepas and shredded duck tacquitos, before we tripped upto Campagnolo for crispy, spicy Ceci (chickpeas) and a plate of house made charcuterie, washeddown with a refreshing Menabrea imported from the small-scale Piemonte brewery of the same name.And speaking of delicious imports, Sean Heather (Irish Heather, Salt, Salty Tongue) corralled chefs

and media in the Salt cellar to tuck into some melt-on-the tongue Serrano and Iberico hams from the me-dieval town of La Alberca Spain. The must-try-ham, best tasted naked, can be bought at Bosa,OyamaSausage and, of course as one Salt’s charcuterie selections. Joe Chaput from Les Amis du Fromagealso turned up with Spain’s grape-leave wrapped Valdeon blue cheese, the next best thing to Cabralesalong with a couple of other fine selections.Also heeding the call of more affordable dining options due to the current economic climate, Restau-

rateurs Andrey Durbach and Chris Stewart will reopen Parkside restaurant in the west end this springas another La Buca. (The senior La Buca has proven a successful haven for rustic Italian comfort foodat a medium price point since it opened. The two hope to launch a few more similar spaces across thecity over the next few years.We love thatQuattro on Fourth are again offer $10 pasta lunches (they were such a success in De-

cember) on Thursdays and Fridays only. This is a perfect opportunity to try Quattro’s feather light noo-dles and gnocchi. The Cannery is offering a new weekend brunch service with the likes of a decadentlobster benedict. Look for more details on the EAT website. —Julie Pegg

OKANAGANKelowna’s restaurant landscape is ever changing. Local favorite, Milestones Restaurant previouslyhoused in Orchard Park Mall, has uprooted and moved across the parking lot to claim its own piece ofturf. On the other side of town in the Mission area, Francophile hotspot bakery and café, La Boulan-gerie, has closed its doors leaving its loyal croissant fans in deep mourning. Hopefully the owners have 2603 West 16th Ave, Vancouver | Tel 604 739 0555 ext. 1 | www.trafalgars.com

Zagat-rated for Top Eclectic CuisineProud member of OCEAN WISE, a Vancouver Aquarium conservation program

Fresh, adventurous and seasonal cuisine~

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Reserve online at quailsgate.com | 250-769-4451OPEN YEAR ROUND

“One of the four best places to dine in the Okanagan Valley.” - Wine Spectator

OLD VINES RESTAURANT11:30 am to 9 pm daily

Sunday Brunch 10:30 am to 2:30 pm

WINESHOP9:30 am to 7 pm - May to October

10 am to 6 pm - November to April

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plans for something in the future?? Other exciting news for Kelowna's downtown restaurant circuit is theannouncement that Fresco's award-winning restaurant has closed! Fear not fans of super Chef Rod But-ters cuisine, he and partner Audrey Surrao have announced that are morphing the old Fresco's digs intoa brand new upscale casual restaurant. RauDZ Regional Table (an amalgamation of their names) isunder construction and will hopefully be open in time for the return of the warmer weather. As per But-ters' style, the menu will be seasonally inspired and focus on local ingredients with the wine list celebratingOkanagan's finest. Promising a welcoming ambiance with a more casual edge including a new eatingbar and flat screen televisions, RauDZ Regional Table sounds like it will be a great place to hang out,eat well and enjoy a fabulous glass of vino or a local brew on tap. The wonderful trend of small gour-met markets and delis continues to spread throughout the Okanagan.O’Rourke’s UptownMarket of-fers a large product line of local and gourmet items for the discerning shopper. Fresh produce, deli itemsand a meat section make this one stop shop handy for all of the new downtown condo and loft owners.1321 St. Paul Street 250-712-0759.When visiting the gorgeous Naramata wine region of our Valley, mark down The Bench Market for

your lunch break. Delicious, gourmet food that focuses on locally grown products, The Bench also sellsperfect ingredients for a picnics and great ideas for Okanagan epicurean gifts. The Chicken Panini,which contains house made oven roasted chicken breast with cambanzola cheese topped with pear chut-ney and pesto aioli and red onion is heavenly – and don’t miss a big glass of the addictive, power pick-me-up – the Matcha lemonade (only available in the hot months – so you can make use of their greatespresso bar in the meantime). They cater too! 368 Vancouver Avenue 250-492-2222 www.thebench-market.com If you would like to take a break from sipping the grapes and move onto another deliciousOkanagan creation – check out Penticton’s own Cannery Brewing Company. Boasting a line up ofabsolutely delicious beers with flavours ranging from the Blackberry Porter (pair with chocolate!) toMaple Stout – these brews will knock you socks off! www.cannerybrewing.com. While mapping outyour next visit to wine country, why not take in a cooking class taught by our very own Celebrity ChefMichael Allemeier? Former host of FOOD TV’s Cook Like A Chef, Chef Allemeier and Terrace Chef MattBatey will share so of their secret tips and delicious recipes in their State of the Art kitchens at breath-takingMission Hill Winery. Check out their class schedule online at: www.missionhillwinery.com. RhysPender, our most famous local wine guy (who is working on becoming the "youngest Master of Wine inCanada”) is expanding his already long CV to include internet television. Rhys, owner of Wine Plus+ Ed-ucation/Consulting, has filmed a segment on B.C. wines to be broadcasted on www.WinelibraryTV.com.—Jennifer Schell

It’sHappyHour forRealAleEvery weekday at 4pm Spinnakers Brewpub puts a cask on the bar and dispenses craft

brewed, cask conditioned, real ales by gravity, the way beers were served a hundredyears ago and before. Priced at $5/pint (less than a regular pint) when the 30 litre cask runsdry, that is it for the day. (Generally, they last a couple of hours.)Cask ales undergo a secondary fermentation in the cask and tend to be softer, smoother

and creamier due to the CO2 beingmore finely dissolved than typical keg beer or even realale beers dispensed from a larger serving vessel, most often pushed by CO2 or mixed gas.The beers are typically dry hopped or additives are introduced to give the casks a specialcharacter. As such, cask conditioned beers provide the ultimate expression of the brewer'sart and give our brewers an opportunity to be creative on a daily basis.Invites are out to local breweries to bring a cask of their best on the first Friday of every

month. On Feb 6th, Driftwood Brewing supplied a cask of their Farmhand Ale which wasdispensed alongside Spinnaker’s own Belgian Abby Cask (see photo above). A special casknight is slated for March 14th from noon until 5 PM. It is hoped that 20 to 30 differentcasks from a wide range of brewers will be on tap. www.spinnakers.com

EAT caught up with chef Scott Jaegar at his restaurantthe Pear Tree in Burnaby, BC. Scott had just returnedfrom Europe where he had been attending the Bocused’Or 2009 culinary competition (Norway snagged firstprize, BC’s David Wong came in a respectable 9th). Ihad heard Jaegar was serving free-range pheasantfrom Campbell’s Pheasantry and wanted to askedhim about his dish and this somewhat tricky to preparebird.

“Pheasant is a richer, more intense meat thanchicken,” said Jaegar, “but it is still definitely in thepoultry family. I find it less gamy than squab, quail orduck and it has a light colour and a delicate flavour.We buy our pheasants fresh from Campbell’sPheasantry in Aldergrove, where they run free eatingbugs and grass. Campbell’s has been in business for 25years and as far as I know are the only BC purveyors ofpheasants. Otherwise in BC, Quebec pheasants can befound but since they are grain-fed they have a lessdistinctive flavour.”“The pheasants arrive at the restaurant around three

pounds each. Pheasants have very lean meat and tendto the tough side so proper cooking is essential. Aspheasants can leap ten feet in the air the legs areparticulary tough and all the tendons need to beremoved (which is very labour intensive). I find the bestthing to do is too separate the breast from the body anduse the body for stock or jus. Sometimes we confit thelegs but it take longer than duck to confit. We also don’tuse the skin. The skin is a challenge as skin needs to becrispy, but if we try for crispy skin the breast meat justdoesn’t cook properly.”“For this dish, we take the skinless pheasant breasts,

liberally season with salt and pepper and slow braisethem in butter. You can use either clarified butter orbeurre monté, which is butter that has been emulsified.At the restaurant we use the sous vide technique but athome I would just do a very slow braise on the stove.”

You can buy pheasant from Cioffi’s or Hills Foods (callahead) but generally it is a restaurant thing. Cookingpheasant takes a little more work to prepare and isn’t aone-day recipe so most people don’t want to try cook-ing pheasant at home. Whichever route—restaurant orhome-cooking—make sure you use a great purveyor andbuy the best.

The Pear Tree peartreerestaurant.netHills Foods hillsfoods.co


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DISH

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Butter Braised Pheasant Breastwith fall vegetables, a salsify tartand a braised onion heart.

PHOTOGRAPHER:Tracey Kusiewicz

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[ THE WINES ]WHITES

Jadot Dom. Du Bois de Fee Saint-Veran 06 France $28.00+The Jadot mission statement is: “The less we touch it, the better the wine” and this lovely,pure, white Burgundy is exactly what it should be, the very essence of Chardonnay. Ele-gant and balanced with subtle green apple andmineral flavours, a slightly creamy textureand a soft, clean finish. A delicious alternative to Chablis!

REDS

Amalaya De Colome 06 Argentina $22.00+Founded in 1831 high in the foothills of the Andes, Bodega Colome can lay claim to beingone of the original pioneers of the Argentine wine industry. Sourcing grapes from its ownbiodynamically farmed vineyards, this blend of Malbec dominated blend is delicious withripe berry, vanilla and a spice flavours and soft tannic finish.

Ruffino Modus 05 Italy $37.00+Ruffino Modus was first produced in 1997! This richly textured Tuscan red is a blend ofSangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Medium-bodied and very intense with redcherry, earth and spice aromas, balanced, with good weight on the palate, ripe fruit andmineral flavours and a dry dusty finish.

Faustino V Reserva Rioja 04 Spain $31.00+Balanced and supple with ripe strawberry and spice flavours. Medium-bodied and ele-gant, this delicious Rioja is packed with flavour but is not over the top. Silky smooth witha long spicy finish!

Palacio Reserva Rioja 04 Spain $27.00+Classic in style with a huge nose that does not require seeking out, it just comes out toget you. Lots going on here with ripe red berry, earth and spicy oak aromas that becomeincreasing alluring as the wine is exposed to air. Good weight on the palate with a softsilky texture and lovely fruit flavours that develop and expand through the finish.

Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 06 Chile $28.00+With a dollop of Merlot added to soften the Cabernet, this Chilean benchmark is medium-bodied and oozing with lush bramble, cassis, tobacco and exotic spice aromas, nicelybalanced with ripe berry flavours, deftly integrated oak and fine grained tannins. Ab-solutely delicious.,

BRITISH COLUMBIAPeller Estates Private Res Cab Franc 06 British Columbia $22.00+With the Canadian dollar slipping and international prices soaring perhaps its time totake another look at what’s coming out of British Columbia’s OkanaganValley. This Caber-net Franc is a real cracker! Medium-bodied and loaded with fresh juicy fruit and spiceflavours.

Osoyoos Larose 06 British Columbia $48.00+Osoyoos Larose is a joint venture between Canadian wine-giant, Vincor International andthe Groupe Taillan of Bordeaux, France. The goal is to produce a Bordeaux style blendwith fruit from the south Okanagan and European know-how. It is a match that has turneda lot of heads over the years, with what has been often referred to, as Canada’s first col-lectable. This beauty is not cheap but good wine rarely is. The 2006, is concentrated andfirm, with cassis, mocha and spicy vanilla aromas, ripe red berry flavours, firm tannins anda long chewy finish. Superb.

by Larry Arnold


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Tollo Pinot Grigio 07 Italy $10.00+It’s soft, it’s fruity, its ten bucks a liter! Light andrefreshing with hints of honey and peaches on thenose, simple fruit flavours and crisp balanced acid-ity.

Tollo Sangiovese 07 Italy $10.00+Another no-brainer from Cantina Tollo that puncheswell above its humble price point! Medium-bodiedwith spicy fruit flavours, fine grained tannins and asmooth persistent finish. Great price for a liter of red!

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W hat do healthy Pacific salmon stocks and the hoppy craft brewingtraditions of the Pacific Northwest have in common? Both requireconsistent supplies of the best quality fresh water, and in recognition of

this, one Oregon craft brewer is taking steps to ensure both the fish and his brewerykeep getting just that.“If we don’t have clean rivers, our beer and craft beer industry in Oregon wouldn’t be

where it is today,” says the aptly-named Gary Fish, founder of Deschutes Brewery.“Healthy rivers are important to us.”Late last September, Deschutes Brewery sourced certified Salmon Safe hops for the

first time from the fabled hop growing mecca of the Willamette Valley – and used it tomake one of their most celebrated (and hoppy) beers, the Hop Trip Fresh Hop Pale Ale.The Salmon Safe certification may sound novel to many in BC, but it’s been around for

nearly a decade south of the border. Based in Portland, the certification is administered bya nonprofit with a mission to see Pacific salmon thrive in agricultural and urban water-sheds. To that end, more than 50,000 acres of land has been certified so far, accompa-nied by retail campaigns in over 200 supermarkets across the US northwest.In the case of Salmon Safe hops, this certification means that the hop yard has been

scrutinized by inspectors who help the farmer ensure the following: that streams and riversare protected by riparian buffers of trees and native vegetation to provide cooling and ero-sion control; that irrigation practices are not damaging or eroding local watercourses; andthat pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, manure and other agricultural products are not drain-ing into fish-bearing waters.Everything from hop and vineyards to waterside real estate developments have received

the certification, which has not only helped wild salmon, but has proven a powerful tool formarketing to environmentally savvy consumers who want to buy high-quality goods with-out compromising salmon-dependent watersheds.In the case of how the salmon safe hops are used to make a novel northwest brew, De-

schutes Brewery spokesman Bob Chase describes how hops are at the heart of this paleale:“The hops grow all summer and by the middle or end of September, they’re ready to be

picked. Around that time of year we drive out [to get hops] and when we are getting closeto the brewery, we call ahead to make sure they are ready to use the hops immediately aswe return.”Crystal hops are a hybrid developed from German Hallertau hops that has emerged as a

Pacific Northwest classic – it is a half sister to local favesMount Hood and Liberty hops andhas been grown commerciallyonly since 1993.Within three hours of being plucked from the vine, says Chase, the Salmon Safe crystal

hops are added to the wort, where they will eventually impart an uncommonly powerful cit-rus aroma to the final product.The end product is not for the beer drinker with an aversion to the citrusy, floral power

of the hop: roughly 680 pounds of Crystal hops are added to each 120 barrel batch of thepale ale, in addition to dry kilned whole flower hops. That’s nearly six pounds of hops perbarrel brewed!Chase says that brewing with freshly harvested, undried aroma hops draws out a new

peak of citrusy aroma – a quality that in this case, is not coming at the expense of rivers,or the salmon that depend on them. To learn more about Salmon safe, visitwww.salmonsafe.org.


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Chateau Loupiac Gaudiet 03 (375m) France $20.00+The village of Loupiac is located just across the river from the Sauternes region in Bor-deaux, France and as with its more famous neighbor, can produce some of themost deca-dently sweet wines this side of the planet Pluto. A classic blend of late-harvest Semillonand Sauvignon Blanc, this powerful sticky is concentrated and lush, each sip burstingwith exotic spice and citrus flavours that just keeps coming.

SPIRITS

Maker’s Mark Kentucky Bourbon Kentucky $30.00+Sometimes a whisky is just a whiskey! But Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight BourbonHandmake Whisky, no matter how you spell it, is a mouthful that’s hard to say but easyto swallow. Distilled from a mash of yellow corn, red winter wheat and malted barley,aged in charred new white oak barrels, Maker’s is silky smooth with a creamy texture,sweet smoky vanilla and subtle grain flavours and a finish that will leave your tonguetingling.


Have you ever considered spending, say, $5,000 on a bottle of wine? As outrageous as itsounds, you could shell out even more than this at auction if you were interested in ac-quiring one of Burgundy’s top wines. Rage surges in our hearts at these ridiculous prices.

We mere mortals should also be able to get a taste of burgundy. The wines from this region havea reputation for being expensive, hard to obtain and difficult to understand. So why even bother?Because once you have truly fallen in love, you find a way tomake the relationship work.Wewouldhave cheated on and abandoned Burgundy long ago were it not for the well-priced gems.Budget burgundy doesn’t equal $10, except in our dreams. However, you can spend between

$20 and $40. For most of us this is still a splurge, but at least it is within the realm of possibility.So where do you find these beacons of hope? Forget the Côte d’Or. That is the heart of Burgundyand youmay as well be buying gold. Themost expensive and highly reputed burgundies are foundthere. But those wines only represent a small percentage of what Burgundy produces. The areasto the north and south of Côte d’Or boast more affordable wines. Chablis, the Mâconnais, CôteChalonnaise and Beaujolais have all had their share of bad press, and their lack of popularity haskept prices reasonable. Thanks to the efforts of committed winemakers, many delicious wines arebeing made in these “lesser” sub-regions.Chablis was corrupted when the namewas hijacked and plastered on labels of cheap plonk from

North America and Australia. Even though the name of Chablis is now protected, its reputationhasn’t fully recovered. This once-popular wine is often overlooked in favour of the richer, showierwines from further south.Like the rest of Burgundy’s whites, Chablis is made from Chardonnay, but this can come as a

surprise when you taste it. Typically unoaked, the wines of Chablis have nothing in common withthe flamboyant Chards of Australia or California. The region sits quite north and is removed fromthe rest of Burgundy. Whenever we’ve visited, it’s been grey and chilly. The wines can be austere,reticent and restrained, somewhat like the area and its people. The wine’s charm comes from itspurity and minerality. Refreshing and steely Chablis’ vibrant citrus aromas leave you craving an-other sip.Chablis dazzles our palate all year long. Extraordinarily versatile, it makes a mouth-watering

aperitif and is a fantastic partner with salad and fresh seafood such as oysters and crab. Entry-levelChablis often over-delivers for the money. Even the Premier Crus are generally under $50 and theGrand Crus rarely crack the $100 mark. You certainly can’t find a Premier or Grand Cru for theseprices in the Côte d’Or. La Chablisienne cooperative is consistent, and smaller producers likeBernard Defaix and Daniel Dampt are worth discovering.At the other end of Burgundy’s white spectrum, the Mâconnais region is located south of the

Côte d’Or and benefits from a slightly warmer and drier climate. Not only are the people morejovial, their wines are riper, friendlier and immediately appealing. In cooler vintages, when the restof Burgundy struggles, the Mâconnais can offer some of the most successful wines.The likes of Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet get the glory, but who can afford them? The Mâ-

connais is filled with young ambitious winemakers eager to show the world the region’s potential.As a result, you can find plenty of well-made wines that rival the whites of the Côte d’Or at half theprice. Those from Christophe Cordier and the Bret Brothers have fooledmore than one blind taster.Rich and unctuous with a lingering butter hazelnut finish, they can be very Meursault-like at times.Château Beauregard never disappoints either. Even its entry-level Pouilly-Vinzelles “LesBuchardières,” which sells for $30, drinks more like a wine at $40-45.

Yes, it is possible, but one must stray from the Côte d’Or to find it.

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By Michaela Morris and Michelle Bouffard

Between the Côte d’Or and theMâcon, the Côte Chalonnaise often gets lost in the shuf-fle, even when one is visiting Burgundy. While easy to bypass altogether, this would bea mistake. The area offers delicious and affordable reds and whites, especially in goodvintages like 2005. They may not reach the heights of their neighbours to the north, butthey are still undeniably Burgundy and are more than adequate when we are craving afix. Like everywhere else in Burgundy, Pinot Noir is responsible for making the fabulousreds and Chardonnay the whites. Look for the village names of Mercurey, Rully and Givry.Wines from the eponymous châteaux of Mercurey and Rully are a great introduction.Beaujolais is Burgundy’s eternal black sheep. It is the one exception to the Pinot Noir

rule as reds here are made from the Gamay grape instead. As far back as the 14th cen-tury, the dukes worked to banish Gamay from most of Burgundy. Somehow it survivedand went onto fame in Beaujolais Nouveau. Released the third Thursday of November,the wine of the new vintage is made using specific winemaking practises so that it issuitable for immediate drinking. Beaujolais Nouveau had its heyday in the 1980s andearly ’90s, but today it is regarded with distain.While the cheap and cheerful BeaujolaisNouveau has its place and is a fun way to celebrate harvest in the fall, it should not de-tract from Beaujolais’ more serious wines.Beaujolais’ top offerings are the Villages wines as well as the 10 “Crus.” Typically, these

wines can be enjoyed in their youth and are driven by crunchy red fruit of raspberry andstrawberries. Those from the Crus of Morgon and Moulin à Vent can age up to 10 yearsin the best vintages. Many of us so-called professionals have been tricked into thinkingthat a five-10-year-old Moulin à Vent was actually a red burgundy made from Pinot Noir.The Crus comes from Beaujolais’ best sites and therefore will cost a bit more than Beau-jolais Villages. Starting at about $25, Cru Beaujolais are worth every penny. They haveextra depth and complexity and are some of the greatest budget gems in Burgundy. Vin-tage after vintage we love the Beaujolais of Marcel Lapierre, Clos de la Roilette, Potel-Av-iron and Calot.Besides being great value, Beaujolais is one of the most food-friendly reds you can

drink. In the summer, they can even be enjoyed slightly chilled with a plate of charcuterieat a picnic. Year round they are a go-to with roasted chicken. As for the Cru Beaujolais,we reserve these for more serious fare like tuna, steak tartare and duck. Quite frankly,our lives would not be complete without Beaujolais.The wines from Chablis, Mâcon, the Côte Chalonnaise and Beaujolais have allowed us

to remain faithful to Burgundy. We get plenty of satisfaction from these off-the-beaten-track regions. In fact, even if we could afford the elixirs of the Côte d’Or, we would stillneed our dose of these less expensive wines. They are first-rate, not simply second best.

WINE

&TER

ROIR

Burgundy on a Budget


T a s t i n g N o t e sChablis2005 Albert Bichot, Domaine Long-Depaquit, Chablis AOC, $27.99We were pleasantly surprised by this wine. It gives you everything you want when you craveChablis: fresh vibrant flavours of citrus with appealing steeliness and slight yeasty notes. Quiteelegant.William Fèvre always crafts excellent Chablis at all price points. Stick with the Petit Chablis andthe regular Chablis when you are seeking good deals.2005William Fèvre, Petit Chablis AOC, $25.99Petit Chablis may be the entry-level appellation in Chablis but it still offers interesting wines.From the first sip, you’ll know you’re in Chablis. Fantastic on its own or with oysters and aseafood platter.2006William Fèvre, Champs Royaux, Chablis AOC, $29.99A step up from the Petit Chablis, the Champs Royaux has extra depth and layers for a few moredollars. We always make sure we have a bottle in our fridge to satiate our Chablis thirst.2006 Bernard Defaix, 1er Cru Côte de Léchet AOC, *$36.00Côte de Léchet is a vineyard that has been given 1er Cru status (Grand Cru being the highest ap-pellation). This site produces wines with a pronounced minerality and a certain austerity.Bernard Defaix does a fine job, and his Côte de Léchet is one of our favourite Chablis on themarket. Highly recommended with crab.

Mâcon2006 Château Beauregard, Les Buchardières, Pouilly-Vinzelles AOC, $29.99We’ve reviewed previous vintages of this wine and the 2006 is another success. It can easilystand up to the whites from Côte d’Or and is much kinder to your wallet. Once you’ve taken asip, count the seconds the flavours last on your palate. You’ll be amazed.

Côte Chalonnaise2005 Château de Rully, Rully AOC *$42 (375 mL $25)Your first sniff will take you right to Burgundy. In fact, you might think you’re in Côte d’Or, butthe price is a reminder that you’re not. Elegant silky texture with loads of juicy flavours of brightcherries. A perfect match with duck. Our mouths are watering!

Beaujolais2006 Domaine de la Brasse, Beaujolais Villages AOC, *$23.50Excellent value and everything you could hope for in a bottle of Beaujolais. Great concentrationof flavours with bright red fruit balanced by a good structure. Start a new trend and enjoy atlunchtime with your friends and your favourite sandwich.2006 Clos de la Roilette, Fleurie AOC, *$34.99A restrained style of Beaujolais, Clos de la Roilette Fleurie reveals its full personality after spend-ing some time in the glass. Very seductive aromas and flavours of cherry and wild strawberriesmixed with pleasant earthy notes. Extremely food-friendly, it goes like a charm with salmon,tuna and roasted chicken.2007 Marcel Lapierre, Morgon AOC, $39.00This wine is close to our hearts. It has fuelled us through many late-night chats. We don’t needany excuse or food to enjoy a bottle, but it does work like a charm with steak tartare. Juicy, veryprecise, complex and full of personality.

BourgogneBourgogne AOC is the entry-level appellation in Burgundy. The pricesmight be enticing but goodones are hard to come by so when you find one, stock up.2006 Joseph Faiveley “Paulée” Bourgogne AOC, $22.99When you’re dying for some Burgundy but think you can’t afford it, reach for a bottle of this.Wehave to warn you, though, the tannins are pronounced and drying, but the wine gets friendlierif you decant it and drink with serious game meat.2005 Chanson, Bourgogne AOC Pinot Noir, $27.99If you want an enjoyable, juicy and easy-to-drink Pinot, this is it. Soft appealing flavours ofcherry and cranberry make your mouth salivate. A great introduction to Burgundy if you areseeking to be converted.*Wines available at Private Wine Stores; prices may vary.

Other producers to look for year around:Daniel Dampt - One of Chablis’ top producers, Daniel Dampt makes sophisticated wines thatover-deliver for the price. Look out for their straight Chablis, 1er Cru Les Vaillons and 1er CruCôte de Léchet.Billaud-Simon - Class in a glass! From their entry-level Chablis Tête d’Or to their Grand Cru, Bil-laud-Simon’s wines are elegant and stylish. We’ve tried aging some of Billaud-Simon’s 1er andGrand Cru but never succeeded … we just can’t resist drinking them.Potel-Aviron - A joint venture between well-known Burgundy producer Nicolas Potel andStéphane Aviron from Beaujolais. You can always rely on this duo to produce excellent cru Beau-jolais. Look out for their Moulin à Vent and Morgon Vieilles Vignes at Marquis Wine Cellars.Domaine de la Sarazinière - Fantastic value here. The Cuvée Claude Seigneuret from MâconBussières is usually lurking on liquor store shelves while the delicious redmakes an annual ap-pearance in private wine stores.

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David Mincey - Camille’s 250.381.3443

The hardest dish to cook is always the most simple. Taking agreat ingredient and presenting it unadorned with perhapsonly the most basic of accompaniments—let’s say just saltand oil—at that point it all comes down to technique. Whatwould you do with a perfect carrot, or beet, perhaps a freshrockfish or a couple of pounds of gooseneck barnacles?Could you do rawmaterials like that justice without resortingto any of the chemical trickery of modern cuisine, or the fail-safe cream, butter and stock approaches of the classicalrepertoire? It is the basic conundrumwe struggle with every-day-- how to showcase the glorious flavours that nature givesus while keeping our creative egos firmly in check.

Jon Frazier - Atlas Cafe 250.338.9838

Mymost difficult dish to cook would be anything for my fam-ily. I always find that what I need is never in the fridge andspend most my time looking for equipment that should beright in front of me. When it comes to clean up only half thedishes ever seem to fit the dishwasher and my critics aretwice as difficult. With all that I said, it remains my favoritemeal to prepare.

Alberto Pozzolo - Italian Bakery 250.388.4557

From a baker's perspective the hardest product to make inmy opinion is a naturally fermented sweetbread such aspanettone or colomba which I make at Easter time. The rea-son for this is that full attentionmust be given to the productfor two days taking into account the weather conditions—

both temperature and barometric pressure. In addition tothis, great care must be taken to ensure that the rise is con-stant and that the sour nature of the sweetbread remainsminimized. Furthermore this product is a fusion between thestreams of bread making and pastry work thus often chal-lenging the artisan to combine both skills concurrently aswell as independently.

Jeff Keenliside - The Marina Restaurant 250.598.8555

The hardest dish I make is my youngest daughter's lunch.Any hot food is generally out-- no means of re-heating andthermos are gross. All schools are peanut-free these days sothere goes peanut butter. Loose or lack of all teeth meansnothing too hard or chewy. Too much sugar and I am a badparent. No treats and I am amean dad. Too much food and itgets thrown out (I hate that), not enough and she's takingstuff from the "lunch lady". Add to all that kids' likes and dis-likes and if we've been grocery shopping yet. And I have to dothis before my first cup of coffee? Thank God for pizza day(or in Whistler, sushi day)!

Aprile Claudio - Colborne Lane 416.368.9009

I would have to say the recipe that is quite challenging forany seasoned chef is miso soup. Just 4 ingredients, miso,h20, kombu and a touch of light soy or sea salt. Nothing tohide behind. Pure and simple.

Ken Huston - Smoken Bones Cookshack 250.391.6328

The hardest dish to make is the one that I will be eating.After cooking for so many years I wish I could have one of

the cool machines on Star Trek and just have food appear soI don’t have to come home from work and cook again.

Karen Gin - Zin Restaurant 604.408.1700

In my career, I was always instructed to never over-cookmeat. Personally the “hardest dish to cook” would be to takea beautiful beef tenderloin and painfully cook it to well-done.

Vincent Fraisssange - Spotted Bear Bistro 250.725.2215

For me the hardest dish to cook to perfection is what mostpeople may think to be an easy one. A simple risotto is onethe best things I have ever eaten when it’s done right. I usedto think that I had a pretty good grasp on technique after hav-ing made hundreds of them and learning from various wellrespected chefs I have worked with. Then I went to Italy fora week while traveling through Europe one summer. This iswhen I realized I knew nothing about making a truly aston-ishing risotto. I had the basics down for sure, and I wasn'tfar off. There was just something missing from what the lit-tle old lady wasmaking in that tiny little kitchen in Italy. Love!Sounds cheesy but it’s true.Working in professional kitchensis really high paced and stressful. Most of the time we areworried about being ready for service. I think as cooks weneed to put more love back into the food and then the dinersexperience will then speak for itself.

Cory Pelan - La Piola 250.388.4517

Any breakfast egg dish. Well, maybe not so hard as just apain in the butt. I just don’t like cooking eggs.

Chef’s Talk: “What is the hardest dish to cook”? by Ceara Lornie

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French Street Broom

PRODUCERSCowichan Bay Farm Pg. 32Woolwich Dairy Pg. 13

SERVICESAndrew Lewis Design Pg. 43M. Tourigny Photography Pg. 36

CLASSESFairburn Farm Pg. 15Culinary Institute of V.I. Pg. 28Culinary Institute of V.I. Pg. 42

WINE & DRINKSBC Wine Guys Pg. 39Broadway Wine Shop Pg. 19Cook St. Village Liquor Pg. 8Hester Creek Estate Pg. 36Hillside Liquor Store Pg. 41Mattick’s Farm VQA Shop Pg. 38Metro Liquor Pg. 41Peter Lehmann Pg. 3Quails’ Gate Pg. 36Sea Cider Farm Pg. 38Six Mile Liquor Store Pg. 39

Eatmagazine’sFOOD+DRINKGuide

FormoreBCFOOD+DRINKlistings visitwww.eatmagazine.ca

DINE OUTAmbrosia Pg. 28Aura Pg. 17Bard & Banker Pub Pg. 43Bear Mountain Pg. 11Blue Crab Bar & Grill Pg. 2Bon Rouge Pg. 10Brasserie L’Ecole Pg. 38Brentwood Bay Lodge Pg. 5Camille’s Pg. 12Fernwood Inn Pg. 28Fire & Water Pg. 15Haro’s Pg. 6Hotel Grand Pacific, The Pg. 4La Piola Pg. 17Locals Pg. 33Lure Pg. 10Markus’ Wharfside Pg. 16Marina Restaurant Pg. 9Med Mosaic Pg. 16Niche Pg. 43O’Doul’s Pg. 35Paprika Bistro Pg. 27Pescatores Pg. 10Prima Strada Pg. 6Restaurant Matisse Pg. 29R.TL Pg. 20Sips Artisan Bistro Pg. 27Smoken Bones Cookshack Pg. 16Sooke Harbour House Pg. 2

DINE OUT

DINE INBodhi’s Artisan Bakery Pg. 33Carrot on the Run Pg. 32Cheryl’s Gourmet Pantry Pg. 29Feys + Hobbs Catered Arts Pg. 4Fol Epi Boulangerie Pg. 8McLean’s Specialty Foods Pg. 32Mix, The Bakery Pg. 35Share Organics Pg. 29Silk Road Pg. 25Thrifty Foods Pg. 7Wildfire Bread Pg.40

HOME & KITCHENBeyond the Kitchen Door Pg. 33Haute Cuisine Pg. 27Muffet & Louisa Pg. 43Penna & Co. Pg. 2Surroundings Pg. 25

Stage Pg. 2Sushi-Mon Pg. 33Tourism Vancouver Island Pg. 30Trafalgar’s Bistro Pg. 35Youbou Bar & Grill Pg. 15Village Taphouse Pg. 21Vista 18 Pg. 42Wesley Street, The Pg. 32Wickaninnish Inn Pg. 34Zambri’s Pg. 12Zin Pg. 21

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eat magazine issue march/april 2009

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