Grazenotes's Blog

Poutine at La Belle Patate

grazenotes — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:11:36 +0000

I recently tucked into a plate of poutine at La Belle Patate on Davie Street (near Bute). In addition to Montreal smoked meat (which will never match the quality served at Schwartz’s on the Main in Montreal), pogos, and hotdogs, La Belle Patate offers up 26 different varieties of the artery-clogging concoction. My friend ordered the BBQ Chicken Poutine, which was okay. The Poutine Mish-Mash, on the other hand, was flavourful and very satisfying. With additions of pepperoni, bacon, mushroom, onion, and green pepper, it was like a pizza but with fries in place of the crust. Yum!Poutine ain’t pretty, but it tastes pretty good!

Designer Bananas from Chiquita

grazenotes — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:32:04 +0000

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association has declared bananas to be the most popular fruit in the world. An initiative launched by Chiquita may increase the tropical favourite’s popularity with one segment of society, budding artists. While it is likely impossible to improve on God’s handiwork when it comes to the delicately flavoured banana, but Chiquita offers an opportunity to create unique artwork to embellish the fruit. Check out www.eatachiquita.com to learn how to design your own banana stickers.

Cobram Estate Australian Olive Oil

grazenotes — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:18:53 +0000

Had a great time learning about Australian olive oil during an evening event at the Dirty Apron cooking school in Vancouver. The featured ingredient was olive oil produced by Cobram Estate in the Murray Valley region of northern Victoria. The four oils demoed at the event were

Rich & Robust – deep olive character (notes of green apple and herbs) with a touch of spice/pepper. Perfect for stews, pasta sauce, drizzling over veggies, or dipping bread.

Fresh & Fruity – a medium-strength, multi-purpose oil with notes of ripe tomato and arugula. Grassy aroma. Perfect for grilling, roasting veggies, salad dressing, drizzling over dishes or dipping bread.

Light & Delicate – a more delicate oil with a creamy mouth feel. Little bitterness or pungency from this oil which boasts notes of green bananas and grass. Perfect for stir frying, banking, and salad dressings.

Lemon Twist – easily my favourite oil of the evening, this premium extra virgin olive oil is blended with cold-pressed lemon oil to deliver a zesty citrus taste. A great choice for seafood and chicken dishes, marinating lamb, banking or drizzling over veggies.

In addition to sipping samples of the four oils (a Dixie cup was cupped in the hand so it was slightly warmed, and then swirled and sipped much like wine would be), Australian chef Sally James demonstrated how the various oils could be used in cooking. Featured dishes included Lemon Tapenade with Pasta and Ricotta; Poached Kingfish with Pumpkin Puree, Lemon-Dressed Fennel and Rocket Chiffonade; Marinated Australian Lamb Loin with Salsa Verde; and Sticky Wine Cake with Glazed Pears. A nut allergy prevented me from sampling the cake, but I enjoyed the glazed pears over fresh homemade vanilla ice cream – who knew olive oil would taste so good drizzled over ice cream?

Cobram Estate Australian extra virgin olive oils are available at most major grocery retailers in BC.

Wine Cellar Sorbet

grazenotes — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:17:24 +0000

Here’s a new product I can’t wait to try:

Wine Cellar Sorbets (www.winecellarsorbets.com) sells a range of unique sorbets with varietal wines as the main ingredient. The range features traditional vineyard flavors including Sangria Rojo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Rosé, Riesling and Champagne.

I can finally have my wine and eat it, too!

Relaunch of Glowbal Restaurant

grazenotes — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:14:29 +0000

Had a great time at the relaunch of the Glowbal Group’s flagship Glowbal Restaurant. Yummy lamb popsicles and mini burgers. Emad (seated right in above photo), Jack, and the rest of the Glowbal team have had a very busy few months.

Follow the Food with Twitter

grazenotes — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:58:37 +0000

Techno-savvy foodies are increasingly finding tasty treats via tweets. A recent posting on Trendwatching.com noted the following:

Launched in San Francisco in early August 2009, Curtis Kimball’s mobile Crème Brûlée Cart has attracted more than 8,000 Twitter followers, who rely on his tweets to find out exactly where he’ll be, and what flavors are on the menu.
The Warm Cookie Radar from Specialty’s Cafe & Bakery sends customers email alerts when batches of just-baked cookies have rolled out of the oven.
Kogi Korean BBQ sells its Korean/Mexican fusion food primarily through two trucks that are always on the move to new locations in the Los Angeles area. To know where to find them, customers must follow Kogi on Twitter.

Woodward’s Food Floor Reborn

grazenotes — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:29:31 +0000

On December 8, 2009, Woodward’s famous food floor will experience a rebirth of sorts. On that day, the historic Vancouver store location will reopen (after a near 20-year hiatus) but with a new name and a new look. Woodward’s Food Floor by Nesters Market is part of the revitalization of the corner of Abbott and Cordova Streets. The site also boast a campus of Simon Fraser University, office and retail space, as well as number of residential units. Nesters is paying homage to the role the much-loved Woodward’s store played in this once-thriving commercial district through more than the appropriation of the name, however. The new store will also feature murals depicting Woodward’s history, “$1.49 day” promotions, and old-fashioned Woodward’s-branded peanut butter. (Suddenly find I can’t get the ol’ “$1.49 Day, Tuesday…” jingle out of my head!)

events calendar

grazenotes — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:21:17 +0000

2009

December 12 – - The 14th Annual Winter Farmers Markets Seasonal Celebration of Food and Art. A one-day event at the Croatian Cultural Centre (3250 Commercial Drive, Vancouver). Info: www.eatlocal.org

December 15 – - Cobre, the nuevo Latino restaurant in Gastown, will donate 100 percent of its net food revenues from this day’s sales to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Other restaurants are also getting on board. Last year, in addition to Cobre, the restaurants and lounges that took up the challenge — Boneta, Irish Heather Gastro Pub, Revel Room, The Lamplighter, Two Chefs and a Table, Salty Tongue Cafe and Shebeen Whiskey House — raised more than $6,000 for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Not all the events were held on the same evening. As support for this event grows, those interested in attending one or more of the participating restaurants are encouraged to check out updates on www.restaurantsdonate.com for details on dates and/or special menus.

2010

January 16-24 — The 12th Annual Winter Wine Festival at Sun Peaks (near Kamloops, BC). Enjoy a wonderful marriage of culinary events, wine tastings, educational seminars and some of the best skiing and snowboarding anywhere in the world. Info: www.sunpeaksresort.com

January 29-31 — The 5th Annual Oregon Truffle Festival (Eugene, Oregon). Info: www.oregontrufflefestival.com

February

March

April 19-25 — Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. New Zealand and Argentina are the featured regions of this year’s festival. Info: www.playhousewinefest.com

April 26-May 6 — Dine Out Vancouver. More info to come.

cheap cheese samplers

grazenotes — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:43:55 +0000

I recently stumbled upon a fairly inexpensive way to expand my knowledge of all things cheese. Dussa’s Ham and Cheese on Granville Island has started packing end cuts into small containers that sell for about $3-$5 each, depending on the cheeses. I’ve managed to score a couple of $3 containers with as many as four different cheeses in them, many of which I’ve never heard of let alone tried before. Some of my favourite new finds so far include: Boschetto (a fragrant blend of sheep and cow’s milk highlighted by bits of truffle), Bleu des Causses (crystals formed throughout the “blue” give it a slightly crunchy texture), Ale Cheddar (can really taste the beer – would be a good cheese to have with more beer, too), County Choice (looks like a layered terrine but made up of white cheddar, Cheshire, Double Gloucester, and Whisky Cheddar), Fourme d’Ambert (strong blue cheese but smoother than Stilton), Isola (like Swiss but not as nutty and no eyes), and Ossau-Iraty Vieille (a nutty, fruity cheese somewhat like a Petit Basque but with a softer rind and smoother centre). Yup, I’m keeping a list so I’ll know which ones I like for when I want to shop for more. Cheap cheese plate anyone?

novel food game

grazenotes — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:01:57 +0000

I was paging through some old work notes this morning and came across something I submitted to the now sadly defunct Challenge column in the Globe and Mail. The challenge was to give a fictional character a new occupation. Here was my submission based on Yann Martel’s wonderful book “Life of Pi”:

Feeling adrift in his career at the zoo, Richard Parker decides to become a baker. He will specialize in Pi.

Anyone else up to the challenge? Don’t let your favourite character be bound by the occupation their author gave them. Help them turn a new page. Give them the job they always wanted! Looking forward to reading your suggestions.