Vancouver Magazine

Where to Watch Super Bowl XLVI 2012

vanmag — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:49:02 -0500

The Official Super Bowl XLVI Party at The Commodore Ballroom

Watch the game in HD on multiple viewing screens and video walls, cosy up to official NHL cheerleaders, and guzzle all the Bud Light you muster. As close to a tailgate this side of Indianapolis.
868 Granville St., 604-683-9413
Tickets here

Ned Bell's Award Winning Chowder Recipe

vanmag — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:16:44 -0500

Smoked Black Cod and Apple Chowder

Ingredients:

1 litre whole milk
2 cups apple juice
2 cups Farmhand Ale, Drfitwood Brewery
2 cups diced black cod
2 cups diced Yukon gold potatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced white onions
1 cup diced fennel
1 cup corn kernals
¼ cup flour

Q&A with Charlotte Gill

vanmag — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:02:46 -0500

Eating Dirt, your tree-planting memoir, paints a visceral picture of the job. How did you fall into that work?

A roommate said “Tree planting, tree planting” and the words just stuck in my head—I started planting within six months. Over the last 17 years, I’ve seen almost all the province—everywhere there’s logging, and we’ve done a ton of that. The amount of wood that has come out of those forests is mind-boggling—92 million cubic metres in one year is the biggest harvest.

Did you feel you were saving the planet?

The Tattoo Removal Business

vanmag — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:41:45 -0500

A physiotherapist, Lindsay McLeod is used to staying alert for the flinches and yelps that identify a client’s tolerance for pain. Today, however, it is McLeod who’s lying on her stomach, whimpering as a black wand runs over her lower back. A staccato click accompanies the tiny red light as it traces one wing of her elaborate black butterfly tattoo. “Okay, stop,” she says. She’s 15 painful seconds into a removal process that will likely take years.

How to Buy a Bespoke Suit Online

vanmag — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:40:12 -0500

November afternoon, 5 p.m. The first pop-up store for online retailer Indochino Apparel-a large, open room on West Georgia-is packed with fresh-faced executives booking off early. The Black Swan soundtrack plays as guests mingle and inspect men's shirts, suits, and accessories.

Video Games for Girls

vanmag — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:05:08 -0500

Your daughter’s in dance and music, she does yoga three nights, and on weekends she plays soccer. But if you really want her to get ahead, get her playing video games. “You do your children a disservice, particularly your girls, if you don’t,” insists Kirsten Forbes, 50, a game designer who spent more than a decade at local software firm Radical Entertainment working on franchises like CSI and Crash Bandicoot.

Is Vancouver home to the greenest building in the world?

vanmag — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:51:45 -0500

If there’s one thing that sums up John Robinson, it is his disinclination to believe that any one thing can ever sum up anything. He has never been very linear, and most subjects he sets spinning—in either lecture or conversation—intersect with the other subjects he has in orbit.

Best of Richmond's Eat Street

vanmag — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:36:43 -0500

There are any number of great restaurants here, but these are our favourites (google map with locations and addresses available here):

1. Michigan Noodles
The light congee base is soothingly creamy. Try it with pork liver, mixed seafood, or ground beef with peanuts for a quintessential Chinese breakfast.

Do Vancouver Women Suck? A Reader's Response

vanmag — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:49:30 -0500

By Jorge Amigo via email, @AmigoJor

Healthy Detox Juice for the New Year

vanmag — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:40:55 -0500

Plug in your juicer and get ready for a healthier you. Preet Marwaha, of OrganicLives (1839 Quebec Street, 778-588-7777. Organiclives.ca), recommends this perfect synergy of power-packed whole foods. He drinks four glasses of this wonder drink a day—proof that you can't have too much of a good thing.

Sneak Peak at 2012 Dine Out Vancouver Restaurants

vanmag — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:05:42 -0500

The city's annual gorgefest, Dine Out Vancouver, kicks off January 20 with 17 days of three-course meals served up at some of BC's best restaurants for $18, $28, and $38. Check out some of the rooms participating below then discover the rest at tourismvancouver.com

Best Bargain Wines of 2012

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 20:05:45 -0500

Bargains Click to launch slideshow

Farnese Primitive Puglia 2009

Long Flat Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2009

Cono Sur Viognier 2009

Finca La Chamiza Polo Amateur Torrontés 2011

Peller Estates Okanagan Family Series Pinot Blanc 2010

Yellowglen Pink

Nollen Notorious Rooster Riesling 2010

Paul Mas Viognier 2010

Spier Chenin Blanc 2010

Farmer Robert Grenache Noir 2010

Finca Las Moras Tannat 2008

Domaine du Clos du Bourg Chenin Demi-Sec 2010

Ricossa Barbera d’Asti 2009

Sumac Ridge Estate Winery Private Reserve Merlot 2009

Yering Station Little Yering Pinot Noir

Return to 2012 Wine Awards results

The Greenest Building in Vancouver

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:36:41 -0500

When the VanDusen Botanical Garden Association decided it was time for a new visitor centre, in 2000, the idea that the building should be the greenest in the city—one of the greenest in the country—did not even make it onto the whiteboard. They had enough to deal with just raising the facilities to the level of adequate. “The existing buildings were built in the 1970s,” explains John Ross, project manager for the Vancouver park board.

Best Meals of 2011

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:32:42 -0500

THE WILLOWS INN | Hate to say that I crossed the border for my most memorable meal of the year, but it’s true. The Willows Inn (2579 West Shore Dr., Lummi Island, 888-294-2620. Willows-inn.com) on Lummi Island isn’t just the greatest restaurant in the Pacific Northwest—it’s easily one of the best in the world. The first time I visited this idyllic San Juan Islands getaway (a 10-minute ferry ride from Bellingham), I honestly thought Blaine Wetzel’s hyper-locavore menu was a bit derivative.

Inside the Mind of Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:26:30 -0500

A July afternoon at UBC’s Thunderbird Park. Canada’s women’s field hockey team is hosting Japan, and things are not going well; the visitors are shutting out Canada 5-0. “Take it, take it up the field,” Mike Gillis urges his 22-year-old daughter, Kate, a forward on the team. Gillis understands the dynamic of attack, even if he’s a little fuzzy on the rules of field hockey. He shakes his head in that way of parents contemplating the car ride home.

Why Your Future Lies in Youtube and Online Advertising

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:45:33 -0500

Wine Awards 2012: Best of Show

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:07:53 -0500

Dominique Piron Brouilly Domaine Combiaty 2009

France $22.99 (Light Red) +142836

Wine style is a moving target, always in flux. The kind of wines that endure, that make us pause, think, and feel, are precious indeed. These days, wines that deliver pure refreshment, that speak to a region and reflect an environment, are celebrated worldwide.

Vancouver Magazine Wine Awards 2012

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:55:25 -0500

Wine’s greatest strength is its variety, and our diverse list of 100-plus winners will take you on unexpected journeys, and show that you can find value anywhere on the price spectrum. Thirteen countries show in the final results, which are dominated by France, Italy, and B.C. Five of the category winners were French, proving that this country, where wine is such a vital part of the psyche, is clearly on form. Our Best of Show winner also confirms that refreshment, nuance, and elegance matter in wine again.

Vancouver Push Festival

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:55:18 -0500

What began in 2003 as a modest collaboration between two local theatre companies has expanded into a juggernaut bent on forging relationships between Canadian multidisciplinary artists and their counterparts from around the globe. Argentinean writers, cult Japanese directors, Lebanese playwrights—they’re all here thanks to a performance/think tank of ever-increasing reach.

Best Dessert Wines of 2012

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:51:12 -0500

Dessert Wines Click to launch slideshow

Concha y Toro Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Château des Charmes “Vidal Icewine Estate Bottled” 2008

Nk’Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Riesling Icewine 2010

Return to 2012 Wine Awards results

Best Fortified Wines of 2012

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:46:25 -0500

Fortified Click to launch slideshow

Penfolds Grandfather Tawny

Elephant Island Framboise 2010

González Byass Tio Pepe Fino

Return to 2012 Wine Awards results

Do Vancouver Men Suck?

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:30:55 -0500

Natalie, Elise, and Tracey are drinking pinot grigio in the Commune Café at Nelson and Seymour. Tracey, who's in marketing, wears an electric-blue dress and flicks her bright blond hair over her shoulder. Elise, a tall brunette with a ready laugh who does business development for a firm downtown, is in a classic navy sheath. Natalie is home for a visit from grad school in Ontario; she's a curvy blond in a flowered dress.

Best Red Wines of 2012

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:14:12 -0500

Best Light Red Wines

Usually scented and juicy, ight reds are perfect foils for fish like salmon, or halibut ishes where gentle tannins are needed. Bright acidity and pure fruit pair well with grilled sausages and wine-braised lentils, or rabbit with Dijon and tarragon sauce

Light Reds Click to launch slideshow

Dominique Piron Brouilly Domaine Combiaty 2009

Farnese Primitivo Puglia 2009

Firriato Branciforti Nero d’Avola 2009

DeAngelis Rosso Piceno DOC 2009

Raccolto Nero d’Avola Syrah 2009

Ricossa Barbera d’Asti 2009

Yering Station Little Yering Pinot Noir

Vina Zaco Tempranillo 2007

Garry Oaks Zeta-Zweigelt 2009

Mud House Pinot Noir Central Otago 2009

González Byass Beronia Reserva 2006

Olsen Family Vineyards Viridian Pinot Noir 2008

Rollingdale Reserve Pinot Noir 2007

Two Paddocks Picnic Pinot Noir 2008

Woollaston Estates Tussock Pinot Noir 2007

Il Conte Primitivo Negroamaro 2010

Quails’ Gate Winery Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir 2008

Best Medium Red Wines

Reds with punch make lavourful partners for mellow moussaka, classic coq au vin, a rosy pink-centred seared duck breast, or pancetta-wrapped pork roast

Medium Reds Click to launch slideshow

Rivera Cappellaccio Riserva Castel del Monte DOC 2005

Long Flat Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2009

Farmer Robert Grenache Noir 2010

Finca Las Moras Tannat 2008

Cellers Can Blau Kia 2009

St Hallett Gamekeeper’s Shiraz

Bodegas Artadi Artazuri Navarra 2009

Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico 2007

Ricossa Barbaresco DOCG 2007

Vina Errazuriz Single Vineyard Carmenere 2009

Château La Courançonne Gratitude Plan de Dieu Côtes du Rhône 2010

Henry’s Drive Vignerons Pillar Box Reserve Shiraz 2008

Antinori Villa Antinori Toscana 2006

Volcanic Hills Estate Winery Syrah 2009

Punica Montessu 2009

Ebano Viñedos and Bodegas Ébano 2008

Capezzana “Villa Capezzana” Carmignano DOC 2006

Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas 2008

Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG 2008

Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva 2006 Berardo

Best Rosés of 2012

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:09:23 -0500

Rosés Click to launch slideshow

Boutinot Chat-en-Oeuf Rosé 2010

La Vieille Ferme Côtes-du-Ventoux Rosé 2010

See Ya Later Ranch Nelly 2009

Return to 2012 Wine Awards results

Best White Wines of 2012

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:27:56 -0500

Best Light White Wines

Their light and tangy aromatics are built for spicy or exotic flavours like coconut curry or won tons. Pair with decent takeout Chinese or fiery turmeric-laced Singapore noodles

Light whites Click to launch slideshow

Ormarine Picpoul de Pinet 2010

Finca La Chamiza Polo Amateur Torrontés 2011

Peller Estates Okanagan Family Series Pinot Blanc 2010

Spier Chenin Blanc 2011

Nollen Notorious Rooster Riesling 2010

Matua Valley Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Mythique Blanc Languedoc 2010

Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2010

CedarCreek Estate Winery Riesling 2010

Forrest Vineyard “The Doctors” Riesling 2010

Road 13 Vineyards Old Vines Chenin Blanc 2010

JoieFarm A Noble Blend 2010

Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc Viognier 2010

Best Medium White Wines

Super-adaptable, drink-anytime whites with perfect mid-weight and balance are ideal for simple pasta dishes with garlic and olive oil, or lemon-and-herb-stuffed roast chicken, or potato pizza

Medium whites Click to launch slideshow

La Chablisienne Chablis La Pierrelée 2009

Cono Sur Viognier 2009

Cottesbrook Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Artisan SakeMaker Osake Junmai 2011

Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Silver Series Viognier 2010

Gray Monk Gewürztraminer 2010

Thornhaven Gewürztraminer 2010

Red Rooster Pinot Gris 2010

Sandhill Wines Pinot Gris 2010

Desert Hills Gewürztraminer 2010

Evans & Tate Metricup Road Chardonnay 2009

Laurenz V Friendly Grüner Veltliner 2010

Robert Oatley Mudgee Chardonnay 2009

Terredora Falanghina 2010

Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2010

Ca’du Rabaja Arneis Merrigiare 2010

Best Sparkling Wines of 2012 for New Year's Eve

vanmag — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:14:35 -0500

Sparkling Click to launch slideshow

Caves de Bailly-LaPierre Bailly Réserve Crémant de Bourgogne

J. Garcia Carrión Cristalino Cava Brut

Yellowglen Pink

Marenco Moscato d’Asti Scrapona 2010

Adami Bosco di Gica Prosecco DOCG

Elephant Island Orchard Wines The Little King 2008

Gray Monk Odyssey White Brut 2008

Lucien Albrecht Crémant Brut Rosé

Road 13 Vineyards Sparkling Chenin Blanc 2008

Return to 2012 Wine Awards results

Christmas Brunch Recipes from Top Vancouver Chefs

vanmag — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:32:52 -0500

Savoury Layered Crêpes

Celeste Mah is the pastry chef at Chambar but she's a wiz at brunch, too. She's responsible for all the fruit toppings and chocolate sauces on Café Medina's brunch menu, that are also available for purchase next door at The Dirty Apron.

Best Hot Chocolate Recipes

vanmag — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:06:15 -0500

With just a sprinkle from his spice cupboard, Thomas Haas, of Thomas Haas Fine Chocolate & Patisserie, transforms hot chocolate into a worldly treat. Traditional Christmas spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove keep it familiar.

New Year's Eve 2011

vanmag — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:54:32 -0500

There are many ways to ring in the new year (if you're staying in, make it a classy affair with champagne flutes like these selected by the editors at our sister publication Western Living). Here are our favourites:

House Cocktail

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:58:35 -0500

At Boneta in Gastown, bartender Simon Kaulback keeps the drink menu focussed on classic cocktails. Here he uses B.C. ingredients, like gin from Victoria and fruit from the Okanagan, for a refreshing drink that’ll keep the party lively this holiday season. Photos by: Greg Geipel

HOW TO MAKE OUR HOUSE COCKTAIL Click to launch slideshow

VIDEO: HOW TO MAKE VM'S HOUSE COCKTAIL w/ SIMON KAULBACK (coming soon)

Drinking Guide 2011

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:31:35 -0500

We surveyed every booze haunt in town to bring you the best cocktails, insider tips, and finest B.C. brews (99 of them, to be precise) ever assembled. Cheers!

Ask a Bartender

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:01:36 -0500

I JUST GOT DUMPED. WHAT WOULD YOU MAKE ME?

The Vancouver Power 50 2011

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:54:55 -0500

Meet the 2011 Vancouver Power 50 Nominees Click to launch slideshow

36. Amin & Mansoor Lalji

15. Joel Solomon & Carol Newell

4. Francesco Aquilini

3. Gregor Robertson

2. David Suzuki

1. Jimmy Pattison

By Frances Bula, Michael Harris, Gary Mason, Vaughn Palmer and The Editors // Illustrations By Pablo Lobato

<-- read all the Power 50 lists

Web Wars

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:43:09 -0500

Jacob Malthouse, 34, and Trevor Bowden, 38, the founders of Big Room Inc., have a relaxed, confident air—big laughs, strong handshakes. The two met while working for the UN in Switzerland, and sitting now in a coffee shop in their adopted new neighbourhood of Chinatown, they talk about their end goal—the Internet’s new .eco designation—like it’s already theirs.

Hot Buy: Dirty Apron Gift Sets

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:42:22 -0500

The giver’s sentiment may be genuine, but honestly, who wants another cellophane-wrapped wicker basket full of stale crackers and oily antipasto? The Dirty Apron Deli set out to reinvent the dreaded gift basket; they’ve created nine different sets (ranging from $60 to $300) filled with edible goodies (chefs’ favourite olive oils, vinegars, condiments, and other treats) geared to families, foodies, and execs—all smartly packaged in a beautiful box.

99 Bottles of BC Beer

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:16:39 -0500

Freestyle skiing looks dangerous as hell. Ever injured yourself? Broken hands, ribs, nose. Torn-up knees. I’ve knocked myself out a few times. And my shoulder kept popping out, so I had to have surgery. The worst was at the X Games in Aspen. It was a snowy day, really slow. I didn’t get up enough speed and landed short on a 75-foot jump. I broke my L3 on impact. So, yeah, I’ve had my share.
read more

Shop With A Chef: Adam Chandler

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:07:03 -0500

He may not have a sweet tooth, but Adam Chandler has a passion for chemistry that makes him a master of tricky confections—baking is, after all, a science. Chandler, formerly a pastry sous-chef with the Loden Hotel and the Fairmont Pacific Rim, creates innovative (and award-winning) truffles in unusual flavours—like tobacco and imperial stout—for his confectionery company Beta5. A lover of local, seasonal ingredients, he uses Agassiz hazelnuts to create a perfect holiday-season hostess gift.

Power 50 2011 Event

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:03:53 -0500

On November 14, politicos, business execs, philanthropists, art luminaries, and power players of all stripes mingled over cocktails and canapés at The Vancouver Club where Vanmag was celebrating their annual Power 50.

Personal Space: Michael Turner

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:03:50 -0500

Photo by: Lucas Finlay

The Joie-O-Meter

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:00:39 -0500

For the past few summers rosé has
been all the rage, and no label has been more ubiquitous on local patios than Naramata’s Joie.

And why not? It has enough strawberry notes for sorority girls, sports enough dry austerity for enophiles, and, at $21, is a bargain by B.C. wine standards.

But how local sommeliers price it tells us plenty about how they structure their lists and what they think of their thirsty customers.

Luxury Yachts

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:47:08 -0500

A 100-foot yacht,” says Jack Bredbeck, “is a toy on the water that you pour money into.” A tanned, crisply dressed 47-year-old ex-U.S. Navy boatswain mate, Bredbeck ought to know: he’s been a private yacht captain since moving here from Fort Lauderdale in 1999. Over lunch at the Hurricane Grill in Yaletown, he and another private captain, Australian-born Jaimie Wakeham, are chatting about the hard times that have befallen the private yacht market.

Vancouver Celebrities: December 2011

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:20:52 -0500

VANCOUVER LIFE

December 2011 Click to launch slideshow

Alexandra & Monika Deol

O’Neal, Melita & Lorne Segal

Amyn Nasser

Thomson & Ryan-Stern

Cheema, Reid & Boudreau

Jessel & Wineberg

Dani Pretto

Hennessy & Decorps

Turnbull, Proust, Bradshaw, Gupta, Hundal, Bennett & Kalla

Narinder & Robin Dhir

Architecture: Surrey's Public Library

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:09:15 -0500

This has been an exciting year for Canadian nerds. First Margaret Atwood rallied her Twitter troops in defence of Toronto’s beleaguered library system (which was “under threat of privatization”). Then Maclean’s magazine explained that, actually, libraries across the country are stronger than ever. Libraries—libraries—have become front-page news. If there’s some confusion as to whether those institutions are coming or going, it’s because they’re actually doing both.

Pantomime Shows in Vancouver

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:08:44 -0500

For 30 years, the Deep Cove Stage players have tended the flame of pantomime—that most English of Christmastime entertainments. (Being “most English,” it borrows liberally from the French and Italian.) Pantomime typically involves an unwieldy number of actors (few professionally trained) racing across the stage between moments of slapstick, actions either heroic or dastardly, and puns of mouldering antiquity.

Barfly: Top 5 Cocktails

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:51:52 -0500

BARREL-AGED LIQUOR

The latest and greatest in mixology trends

{ Order a Hanky Panky at } L’Abattoir

VIEUX CARRE

Profile: Judy Graves

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:33:09 -0500

They met eight years ago, when Judy Graves was walking through a West End alley. “When you’re ready,” she told him, “give me a call.” Last week he did. “I still drink like a fish,” Jim warned her, “but I’m off drugs, and I want a home.”

How To Read A Wine List

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:24:14 -0500

A wine list, much like a summons and a marriage certificate, is a piece of paper likely to inspire perspiration. How to get away with being cheap without looking cheap? In B.C., restaurateurs are cursed with exorbitantly high wine prices (they aren’t given a price break, unlike their comrades out of province or to the south who pay wholesale prices) and Kafkaesque regulations (you can’t bring unopened wine from home, but you can take opened wine home). In response, most charge a lot for wine, generally starting at two-and-a-half times the retail price.

Editor's Note: December 2011

vanmag — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:07:51 -0500

Who’s the wisest person you’ve met? It’s a question we put to all who attended a planning dinner for this issue, held in September at the Vancouver Club, and it drew fascinating responses from the 20 or so guests, each with specialized knowledge of some aspect of the city.

Wine Pick of the Week

vanmag — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:13:38 -0500

February 2, 2012

Boutinot Chat-en-Oeuf Rosé 2010