IF08 • Infamous June 2008 Coming Summer 2008 www.dhmbars.ca 0608INF
INDUSTRY NEWS + NOTES BY CASSANDRA ANDERTON • Just around the corner, Vancouver will have a number of new Italian restaurants to frequent. Trattoria Italian Kitchen on Fourth Avenue near Burrard is another project from the Glowbal Restaurant Group (Glowbal, Coast, Sanafir and Italian Kitchen). It’s slated for the beginning of June. In the Moda Hotel, another Italian fine dining spot called Cibo (Italian for food) is a month or two away. And two ex-Parkside and La Buca chefs, Lucais Syme and Adam Pegg, have taken over a spot on Broadway at Alma and are constructing La Quercia (Italian for a type of oak tree). Viva Italia! • Main Street is now home to a new Asian fusion restaurant, Ping (2702 Main), and will soon be home to another outlet of the soup and stew place Burgoo (at 15th). • South China Seas, the wonderful spice and exotic-ingredient outlet on Granville Island, now has a presence on Commercial Drive. Look for it at 1904 Grant Street. You might even find parking nearby. • Rare restaurant shut for renovations last month and has still not reopened. Fortunately for chef Colleen McClean, she didn’t have to wait long for other offers. McClean’s decided to join Sean Heather’s team and oversee the menus of the Irish Heather, Shebeen and Salt Tasting Room. • Don’t miss the summer farmers’ markets, now in full swing. Check them out on Saturdays at Trout Lake and in the West End, on Sundays in Kits and Wednesday afternoons at Riley Park. www.eatlocal.org for details. • It’s now your chance to try local spot prawns through June at C, Raincity and NU. Each restaurant features a special menu. Stop in at Figmint for a spot prawn brunch menu on June 14 and 15 at Cambie and 12th. • Boneta at 1 West Cordova is now open for lunch and has launched a new patio. C Restaurant is also open for lunch and has the seaside patio in full swing – two afternoons, totally different atmospheres. • Connor Butler at Granville and 6th Avenue has an amazing $35 tasting menu through the month of June. Portions are large and the wine pairings can be had for a meagre $15 more. • From June 5 to 15, Hamilton Street Grill in Yaletown has its eight-ounce Angus sirloin steak on for $11 to celebrate 11 years in business. Comes with garlic spuds and fresh veg. A great way to celebrate Father’s Day? Coming Events: June 10: Hamilton Street Grill and Peller Estates Winemaker’s Dinner – 604.331.1511 June 13-14: Wines of Argentina and food from Baru Latino Restaurant, at the BC Liquor Store at 39th and Cambie www.mattersoftaste.com/en June 22: Aurora Bistro and R&B Brewing BBQ dinner – local food and local beer www.aurorabistro.ca Until June 28: Dine and Unwind at Whistler – multi-course menus starting at just $20 per person. www.whistler.com/dine Wine Diva Everything’s coming up rosés BY DAENNA VAN MULLIGEN There is no denying the return of the rosé. Every decent wine list in town offers at least one, and every wine store seems to feature a luminous array of bottles in amber, salmon, cranberry and watermelon colours. Pink lovers rejoice – there’s no longer a need to hide your guilty pleasure. Come out of the closet (you can’t appreciate those mouth-watering hues in the dark anyway). These wines are not “blush” and they are not “white Zinfandel.” They are crisp, often dry wines made from a diverse selection of grapes from a variety of regions around the world. They are the perfect summer wine and perfect partner for whatever dish you desire: salads, seafood, spicy dishes, white meat or antipasti. And I assure you, there’s no end to this trend in sight. So you may as well jump on the bandwagon and find out what all the fuss is about. Chateau de la Galiniere, Côtes de Provence, France – Rosé is classic to the south of France, where it’s consumed en masse at every bistro and café. Made from Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet and Mourvedre, this lovely pale-pink wine smells of strawberries, spice and rose petals with a hint of candy floss. It’s juicy, refreshing and brimming with bright red fruits and crisp citrus; perfect for summer sipping! $16.99 – BC Liquor Stores Marques de Caceres, Rioja Spain – Made from Tempranillo and Garnacha, it’s rubyred with clay undertones and shows appealing aromas of ground berries, orange peel, fragrant flowers, earth, spice and hints of vanillin oak. It is just off-dry with flavours of berry, leather, savoury herbs and cedar with fine dusty tannins on the finish. Pair with grilled veg tossed with savoury herbs, turkey and chicken or light pasta dishes. $14.99 BC Liquor Stores La Vieille Ferme Côtes du Ventoux Rosé, France – Another favourite rosé from the south of France that comes topped in a picnic-friendly screw-cap. Typically made from Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault, it’s bright cranberry in colour and brimming with aromas of fresh red berries and red cherry. It has secondary notes of mineral, juicy citrus and shavings of orange zest. Clean, crisp berry flavours, citrus and savoury-earthy undertones shine through on the palate, with more citrus zest on the finish. $13.99 – BC Liquor Stores La Vieux Pin ‘Vaila,’ Okanagan BC – Although it may be harder to find (look for it in premium private wine stores and in restaurants) this 100-per-cent Pinot Noir rosé is worth looking for. The Vaila is a pretty cransalmon hue and displays aromas of cranberries, minerals and crisp grapefruit. It’s off-dry with bright acidity and intense, lively flavours of strawberry, citrus and tart red fruit. $25 – Private stores and at the winery Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial Champagne, France – Makes the statement: Go big or go home. This beautiful cranberry-ambercoloured bubbly is decadent and utterly irresistible. Tiny beads of bubbles carry dazzling aromas of strawberry, currants and red cherry, purple flowers and minerals. In the mouth it is generous, creamy and bright, brimming with red fruit and citrus-peel flavours. On its own or paired with hors d’oeuvres, however you want it, just make the investment. $74.96 – BC Liquor Stores Amano Primitivo, 2005, Puglia Italy – Super-easy drinking and fresh, this sibling to Zinfandel is oozing blueberry, raspberry and blackberry-liqueur aromas with sweet spices and tobacco notes. It’s supple and spiced with soft tannins on the finish. A great barbecue wine. $19.99 – BC Liquor Stores Arigolas S’elegas Nuragus di Cagliari, 2005, Sardinia Italy – Another indigenous varietal, this lush wine oozes pineapple, mango and crème caramel with spice undertones. Ripe fruit returns on the palate with exotic flowers, honey and deft oak flavours on the finish. Nice paired with soft or smoked cheeses. $19.99 – BC Liquor Stores www.winediva.ca Drink & Dine These wines are not ‘blush’ and they are not ‘white Zinfandel.’ They are crisp, often dry wines made from a diverse selection of grapes. Infamous June 2008 • IF09