Craft beer fans in BC and Alberta will be able to celebrate the holidays with a special treat starting December 1st if they pick up the “Mystery Gift Holiday Countdown” 24-pack of Central City and Parallel 49 beer.
The Mystery Gift Holiday Countdown features 22 of the best and most sought-after craft beers from Central City and Parallel 49, as well as two special collaboration beers, one from each brewery. This marks the first time two North American craft breweries have come together to collaborate on an advent-style holiday beer pack.
The case includes Central City’s Dubbel Trubbel, a classic Belgian Brown ale made with a world famous Belgian Abbey yeast — a great beer to have during the holidays — along with Parallel 49’s collaborative beer, the Schwarzwald Chocolate Cherry Porter which is inspired by Black Forest cake. Where these beers are in the Mystery Gift Holiday Countdown gift pack is a mystery.
This advent-style calendar box, with individual cutouts so you can enjoy a beer-a-day in December, retails for $74.95 a case and is available now in government liquor stores across BC and parts of Alberta.
Thanks to Central City, I have a Mystery Gift Holiday Countdown case to give away to one lucky Miss604 reader — or the craft beer lover in their life. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment naming a beer by either Central City or Parallel 49 (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, November 12, 2014. Must be 19+. Please enjoy responsibly.
Update The winner is Alex W!
Great wine is even better when it’s paired with great food, and when both come from within several miles of each other, the experience is even better. We’re so fortunate to have the ability to grow, harvest, and serve up fantastic wines and dishes in BC’s wine regions.
Winery Restaurants in the Okanagan
Heading south to north, here are three winery restaurants that I recently visited while on a tour with the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society and Thompson Okanagan Tourism.
Talon’s Restaurant at Spirit Ridge (at Nk’Mip)
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Location: Spirit Ridge – 1200 Rancher Creek Road, Osoyoos, BC
Restaurant: Talon’s Restaurant at Spirit Ridge
Executive Chef: Jamie Hertz
The Spirit Ridge and Nk’Mip property in Osoyoos is filled with a full day’s worth of activities. Stay at Spirit Ridge Resort, take a dip in the pool or have a coffee at the market, visit the Desert Cultural Centre, do a winery tour at Nk’Mip Cellars, and round out the day with a glass of wine and dinner at Talon’s.
Our group had a lovely lunch on the patio with Benedict Genaille of Nk’Mip Cellars, who is an aboriginal cuisine instructor and chef as well, specializing in preparing Canadian First Nations food in traditional recipes with modern flair. Chef Hertz, a former Top Chef Canada competitor, prepared a four course lunch with Nk’Mip wine pairing for us, using his own inspirations and techniques to create dishes inspired by the desert landscape and the wines of Nk’Mip.
We started with a steelhead salmon roulade and then a warm roasted beet salad with roasted garlic, golden beet syrup, and beet chips. This salad followed by the halibut with dashi broth and mushrooms was probably my favourite meal combo of the entire trip. I love beets, I love halibut, and both were prepared in refreshing ways that highlighted the main ingredients on many levels. The meal was capped off with a warm blondie bar, walnut ice cream, peaches, cherries, and cream.
The Kitchen at Misconduct
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Location: Misconduct Wine Co. – 375 Upper Bench Road N.
Penticton, BC
Restaurant: The Kitchen at Misconduct
Executive Winery Chef: Abul Adame
Misconduct was the very first stop on our trip and it was a great introduction to the personal style and flare that each Okanagan winery chef puts into their menus. We dine family style as Chef Abul Adame served us his own Portuguese and Mexican tapas, family style.
We began with a mix of olives, then a smoked tomato soup, a toasted walnut, chickpea and roasted garlic spread with warm bread, grilled vegetables, a platter of tuna with guacamole, and the pièce de résistance — Misconduct’s signature paella with spanish saffron rice, chorizo, mussels, clams, chicken and prawns. The Kitchen serves up these tapas as large plates for sharing, and as 5 dollar and 10 dollar tapas. With this feast we enjoyed Misconduct’s Bootleg Series Massacre Rosé and Misfit, and their Suspect Series Chardonnay Viognier.
The flavours and fusions are so creative, it really is a treat to find such unique combinations for wine pairings. Toasted walnut spread? Saffron rice? Guacamole? It all works so harmoniously and your taste buds will thank you for making that reservation.
Grapevine at Grey Monk
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Location: Gray Monk Estate Winery – 1055 Camp Road, Lake Country, BC
Restaurant: Grapevine Restaurant
Executive Winery Chef: Willi Franz
The Heiss family has 32 years of winemaking and 42 years of grape growing experience in BC’s Lake Country, just between Kelowna and Vernon. In 1976 George and Trudy Heiss first planted Alsace Pinot Gris in the region and these trailblazers are going strong today on 75 acres overlooking Okanagan Lake.
Walking onto the patio at Grapevine Restaurant, my eye caught the bright red and pink geraniums that lined the railing, contrasting row upon row of lush green vines on the hillside below. George and Trudy joined our group for dinner and their warmth, hospitality, humours and accents (German and Austrian) made me feel as though I was visiting family. Sipping their 2012 Riesling, the late summer sunshine warming my back, I dug into a lively lunch with all the comforts of home paired with the benefits of having a meal at a winery with its owners.
A crisp heirloom tomato bocconcini salad was paired with the Reisling and with a choice of two entrées I decided on the beef brochette with cherry pink peppercorn sauce, potato and seasonal vegetables. This was paired with the 2011 Odyssey Red Meritage, which brought out the richness of the meat and the tartness of the cherries on top. The Odyssey III Port arrived with our final dish, a trio with crème brûlée, chocolate raspberry mousse, and a truffle.
Between the delicious comfort food and the Heiss’ hilarious and captivating stories, I had a smile on my face all afternoon. Chef Franz’s meal blended bright and crisp flavours of the season with warm and hearty dishes that played in perfect harmony with Gray Monk’s wines.
The patio at Grapevine is a place where you’ll want to sip, savour, and cherish the bounty of the land around you while enjoying the panoramic view. Watching the sun cross the sky, from vineyard to lake to mountain, you may feel as I did: right at home.
Check all of the winery restaurants’ websites for seasonal hours and start planning your trip to wine country today. Call ahead for reservations to make sure you get a table at these popular, and delicious, destinations.
Related Post: Miradoro Restaurant at Tinhorn Creek in Oliver, BC.
Our lush coastal rain forests are prime growing grounds for fungi of all kinds, including the bright red and white mushrooms — Amanita Muscaria — that pop up around this time of year at the base of trees. These highly toxic toadstools, also known as fly agaric, become prime objects of photographers looking to capture all the colours of autumn in the greater Vancouver area.
This fairy tale mushroom should not be consumed, but it can be photographed as these local shutterbugs have done:
The Thunderbird recently wrote about Amanita Muscaria and featured the Vancouver Mycological Society. This organization educates the public about the importance of mushrooms to ecology, the forests, and the economy. They also there to help people make sure they pick mushrooms that are safe to eat.
Should you wish to learn more, the Vancouver Mycological Society meets once a month at VanDusen Botanical Gardens and hosts various other events throughout the year.
Since I’m celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Miss604 on November 13th, I figured that a retrospective series was in order leading up to the event. Over the last 10 years I have personally published over 6,240 posts while family and friends have contributed over 200 guest posts. I’ve decided to pick out my Top 10 posts in various categories and showcase them this week.
Top 10: Travel Experiences on Miss604
10. Salt Spring Island
In 2008 John and I visited Salt Spring Island for the first time together. It was a very belated honeymoon and it was where we worked on our first company project. Most of all, we fell in love with this Gulf Island with all of its natural beauty, rocky shores, sweeping meadows, artisanal products, delicious fish and chips, and friendly locals. We’ve been back at least once a year since and had an amazing winter stay last December.
9. Harrison/Agassiz
The far corners of the “604” are another one of my favourite travel destinations, be it on a Sunday drive or for several days of relaxing by the fire at Rowena’s Inn, visiting farm gate shops, and taking walks along river beaches flanked by thousands of eagles. In 2009 I did my first media tour to Harrison and Agassiz to promote the Circle Farm Tour. I’ve been back many times since and in 2012 John and I did the Slow Food Cycle Tour, which was absolutely the best way to tour around and visit local farms, artists, and artisans. It’s local travel but it gets special mention since it started a trend for us as we look to the Fraser Valley often for quick escapes from the city, a fireplace to huddle around, and delicious produce and groceries.
8. Prince George
The highlight of my career, or at least one of the most pivotal moments, has got to be the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. I published over 120 articles, hundreds of photos, and spent two weeks experiencing and living the spirit of the Games all across BC. One of the opportunities that came up during this time was a trip to Prince George. There I got to speed skate on an outdoor ice oval, hang out with some awesome pups dog sledding, tour the Ancient Forest on snowshoe and take part in the 2010 Olympic torch relay.
7. New York
A travel list without New York on top? It’s hard to believe but since none of the recent times I traveled to New York recently were blog related (except for a quick 48 hour trip in 2009), so I figured I should include it in the middle of the pack. In 2010 I went to New York with Keira and in 2012 I took my mother. Both times I accompanied very special ladies who had been dreaming of New York their entire lives. I was fortunate to be able to tag along and have unique travel experiences with each. I did blog about both trips, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, High Line Park, Union Square Holiday Market, Central Park, and two recaps.
6. Maui
I finally made it to Maui (my first Hawaiian island) in 2012 when John and I were invited to the inaugural Ka’anapali Fresh food festival. Not only was our first Hawaiian experience packed with culinary adventures, we stayed a few extra days to soak up the romantic getaway for all it was worth. We did the sunrise atop Haleakala, toured a coffee farm, sipped Mai Tais and paddled an outrigger between packs of giant sea turtles.
5. The Other Vancouver
Whenever we travel south of the border and mention that we’re from Vancouver our statement is usually followed by, “Washington or BC?”. In June of 2013, I had contacted the Vancouver, Washington tourism authority to get some travel tips and I planned a long weekend away with John to explore this “other Vancouver”. What we found was an abundance of history at places like The Grant House, Esther Short Park, the land bridge, and Fort Vancouver. On the way down we also stopped by Mount St. Helens, a stunning and moving natural monument.
4. Alberta Badlands
Prior to the GoMedia travel media conference in Edmonton, Alberta in 2011 I went on a tour with a pair of other travel writers to experience the Alberta Badlands. I explored a haunted mine, stayed in a Ghost Town, photographed the Badlands and Dinosaur Provincial Park, and spent the night in a tipi as the Milky Way glittered in the big sky above.
3. Switzerland
A few months ahead of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics I was invited to Switzerland to learn about the history of the Games, the history of many winter sports, and tour the country from lakeside to mountaintop. I wrote about Geneva and Lausanne, the Olympics Museum, International Olympic Committee Headquarters, driving from Lausanne to Bern, watching a hockey game in Zurich, walking around St Moritz, our tour of Lindt Chocolates, the birthplace of the bobsleigh, and traveling the country.
2. Ghana
2011 was a tough year personally, as John and I both lost our grandmothers, but while it had such sorrow and sadness it also served up epic travel opportunities such as my trip to Ghana. I was invited by the Cadbury Bicycle Factory to assist in their mission of delivering thousands of bikes to rural communities so that children could get to school and not end up working at young ages. I felt the biggest impact when we visited villages and school children came out to greet us and show off their homework. I wrote about my experience in Bipoa, Nsiana and driving from Kumasi City to Accra, Ghana.
1. Iowa
I’ve covered Europe, Africa, the South Pacific and the Pacific Northwest but longtime readers had to know that I would pick Iowa — birthplace of my husband and home to his family — to top this list. Over the years this blog became a professional resource and outlet but I have strived to make sure it never loses my voice. It is this reason why Iowa is my top travel destination, since it’s one of my favourite places to write about.
I’ve covered Maquoketa Caves State Park, scenic drives, autumn, winter, the Field of Dreams movie site, Dubuque to Cedar Rapids, and afternoon in Wisconsin and Illinois, Camp Courageous of Iowa, watched a hockey game in the Quad Cities, been on countless photowalks, and cheered on the Fourth of July parade.
Will any other Vancouverites ever make it to Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, or Iowa City? It’s unlikely, although encouraged. My posts about Iowa mix together what I love most about writing a blog. I can share my personal writing with scenic photography, and include a whole lot of heart.
More themed Top 10 posts will follow this week and be sure to get your tickets to the #Miss604is10 anniversary party:
Thanks to #Miss604is10 major sponsors London Drugs, Patio Social, Granville Liquor Store, Honda Canada, Granville Island Brewing, and Tourism Surrey.
The Rio Theatre is serving up a strong lineup for November featuring some definite fan favourites. These 19+ screenings can be complimented with a beverage from the theatre’s full service bar as you enjoy a night out with friends. Tickets are available online in advance or at the door for $8 or $6 if you come in costume.
Late Night Movies at the Rio
Friday, November 7, 2014
Batman
(Tim Burton, 1989) Actor Michael Keaton is experiencing something of a renaissance of late thanks to his turn in Birdman, which inspired us to revisit one of his best known performances as the original Dark Knight of Gotham, Bruce Wayne, in Tim Burton’s Batman. Jack Nicholson chews scenery as The Joker, Kim Basinger chooses screamery as Vicky Vale, and Prince provides a soundtrack that will make you want to Batdance in your Electric Chair until the wee small hours of the morning. Also starring Robert Wuhl, Bill Dee Williams, Jack Palance.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Battle Royale
(‘Batoru rowaiaru’, Kinji Fukasaku, 2000) A mesmerizing modern cult classic depicting, perhaps, the most severe instance of ninth grade initiation ever, Kinji Fukasaku’s dystopian thriller (based on the best-selling novel by Koushun Takami) imagines a Japanese government that pits students against one another in an epically chilling, three-day long isolated desert island battle – to the death. Part Clockwork Orange, part Lord of the Flies, and part The Hunger Games, Battle Royale is thrillingly good on the big screen. Starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarô Yamamoto.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Heavy Metal
(Gerald Potterton, 1981) It goes without saying that Heavy Metal stands as the best animated science fiction fantasy film ever to come out of Canada (the vocal talents featured reads like a who’s who of Canadian comedy greats – including John Candy, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy, and Jo Flaherty). Produced by the legendary Ivan Reitman, Heavy Metal is an anthology film inspired by the magazine of the same name and is notable for its graphic violence, sexuality, and nudity. Also of note: the killer soundtrack, a veritable time capsule that includes the likes of Sammy Hagar (singing the eponymous title track), Devo, Journey, Stevie Nicks, Blue Öyster Cult, and more.
Friday, November 28, 2014
The Princess Bride
(Rob Reiner, 1987) Based on author William Goldman’s 1973 novel of the same name, Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride has taken on a life of its own as one of the most beloved (and infinitely quotable) fairy tales to ever hit the big screen, enchanting audiences of all ages since its release in 1987. A kindly grandfather (Peter Falk) reads his oft-protesting grandson (Fred Savage) a story about giants, wizards, swordplay, Rodents of Unusual Size, true love, and perfect breasts. (And yes…There’s even some kissing.) Starring Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Cary Elwes, André the Giant, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, Peter Cooke, Carol Kane, and more.
The Rio Theatre is an independent art and movie house located at 1660 West Broadway, at Commercial Drive, and is easily accessible by transit. Follow along on Facebook and Twitter for more film screenings, comedy showcases, and special event information.
