Central Bistro is quickly becoming a favourite neighbourhood watering hole in the West End so when one of our most-loved breweries, Howe Sound, invited us to the brewmaster’s dinner there last night, we were happy to accept.
Chef Robert Erickson, who regularly orchestrates beer pairing dinners, took a selection of five Howe Sound Brewing beers and created last night’s menu.
Spicy heirloom tomato summer gazpacho with Greek pressed olive oil & feta cheese, Belgium endives
Pairing: White Cap Wheat Ale
Royal breakfast & beer with grilled brioche poached quails egg, chorizo sausage, spiced hollandaise
Pairing: Timberline Pale Ale
BC spot prawn ravioli with red curry lemon grass reduction, coconut foam
Pairing: Devils Elbow IPA
(Left) Slow-cooked baby back ribs with grilled herb potato salad, charred corn. Pairing: Hip Hops IPA. (Right) Banana coconut cream pie. Pairing: King Heffy Imperial Hefeweizen.
There’s one more Vancouver Craft Beer Week event at Central this Friday night and tickets are still available for $20. They’ll be celebrating the launch of the new Hip Hops Grapefruit IPA that Central Bistro designed with Howe Sound Brewing.
Miss604.com is a proud sponsor of Vancouver Craft Beer Week 2011. Please enjoy the events responsibly and plan a safe ride home.
I am pleased to announce that the BC Travel Tuesday series, that was originally set to be 10 weeks long, has been extended to 12 weeks thanks to the support of my readers and the partner properties listed on backyardbc.com. We’re now onto our fifth week and so far we’ve given away $2,188 worth of accommodations around BC.
backyardbc is a new travel website designed specifically for residents of British Columbia. Essentially a “be a tourist in your own backyard” program, participating hotels & resorts offer residents of BC exclusive rates and specials, designed to motivate BCers to travel more within the Province. Each offer has its own unique reservation code, and all bookings are done directly with our hotel and resort partners. Visit backyardbc online, on Twitter, or Facebook and see more of BC!
The winner of “BC Travel Tuesday: Week 4 Inn at Laurel Point” is Kristine (and she has been contacted by email). This week’s featured property is located in the sunny South Okanagan, at the tip of BC’s own wine country.
Watermark Beach Resort Website, Twitter, Facebook, backyardbc listing Location: 15 Park Place, Osoyoos, BC About:“Only a few hours drive from Vancouver or just a 40 minute drive through wine country from the Penticton Airport, Watermark Beach Resort Hotel is surrounded by an impressive variety of outdoor recreational activities; from Okanagan golf, wine tasting, water sports, hiking, biking, boating, horseback riding, fishing, and swimming to skiing and other winter sports. For food and wine lovers, the Okanagan is rich with lush orchards, gourmet restaurants and award-winning wineries that open their doors for tastings throughout the year.” Prize: 2 nights in a one-bedroom suite, including a $50 per night food & beverage credit in the Wine Bar. Value: $700
To enter to win, leave a comment on this post and/or post the following on Twitter:
I entered this week’s @backyardbc @miss604 #bctraveltuesday contest #tt http://bit.ly/bctraveltuesday5
Winners will be announced every Tuesday on the latest BC Travel Tuesday contest post until the 12 weeks are up. Gift certificates for hotel and resort stays will be sent directly to each weekly winner so they can arrange their visit personally with the property. Some restrictions apply, based on availability. Must be 19 years of age or older to enter and win.
Update The winner is Michael Florizone – congratulations!
View all posts in the series by following or subscribing to my BCTravelTuesday tag. Open to residents of BC.
The Cadbury Bicycle Factory is now open for 2011. This online, virtual bike factory swaps your Cadbury product codes for bike parts that translate into real bikes being built and sent over to students in Ghana, which I got to be a part of earlier this year.
The Bicycle Factory Steps:
Find the product code (under the bar code) on your Cadbury product, anything from Dentyne and Trident, to Sour Patch Kids, Halls, and Caramilk chocolate bars. Fair Trade Dairy Milk codes are worth double.
Fill in as much information as you like. You can also enter to win a trip to Africa for the next bicycle delivery (there were contest winners on the trip when I went as well, they were also treated to a safari adventure after the bicycle deliveries).
Each code = a bike part. 100 bike parts = a brand new bike sent to Ghana.
The goal this year is to once again deliver 5,000 bikes to school children in rural Ghana. Why bikes? Being mobile allows children to get to school daily (some that I met walked several kilometers each way) and venture outside their villages for other needs.
I saw first-hand what the fair trade cocoa industry means to these communities. I heard mothers say their top priority is to ensure their children get an education. I watched as co-op members danced and smiled, wearing their Kuapa Kokoo union uniforms. If you’re going to chew gum or snack on a chocolate bar, why not do something to give back to its source before you toss the wrapper away.
Pertaining to Vancouver specifically, I am organizing an event in support of The Bicycle Factory as a part of Velopalooza, happening around town June 2-9, 2011. Details will follow in the coming weeks. This month you can also watch episodes of a Much Music mini-series with the band San Sebastian that was filmed on the trip in February.
For the Vancouver Icons series I have been profiling buildings, statues, and landmarks that we see every day in Vancouver but are perhaps unaware of their history. The posts are photo-heavy, peppered with tidbits of information about the selected icon. When looking for ideas for this week’s subject I put the call out on Twitter and @leighe suggested the Sun Tower.
1927: Pender, East of Cambie. Archives Item# Str N164. Photographer: W.J. Moore
1974: Archives# CVA 1135-11.
Completed in 1912, the 17-storey Sun Tower on the East side of downtown Vancouver has dotted the skyline with its iconic green dome. Louis Denison Taylor (who became Mayor LD Taylor in 1909) owned The World newspaper for which the building was built to house.
Upon completion, the World Building took over the title of “Tallest Building in the British Empire” from the Dominion Trust Building, also in Vancouver and just up the street. [Read more: VancouverHistory].
1913: Looking west. Archives #CVA 371-726.
The Vancouver Sun bought the building in 1937, which then changed its name, and occupied it for the next 30 years. It’s still called the Sun Tower to this day even though the paper has been headquartered at Granville Square since the 1970s.
It lay vacant for several years and has since been restored, even making a few appearances in a few Hollywood North productions.
The historicRosewood Hotel Georgia is slated to re-open with the next few weeks with renovated rooms, restored opulence in the ballrooms, and a high-tech flare.
Rosewood Hotel Georgia with residential tower in the background.
The hotel had been a focal point of downtown Vancouver since 1927, hosting world-famous guests, until it closed to undergo a major restructuring a few years ago. I was fortunate enough to get a sneak-peek a little while ago and was able to snap a few teaser photos while wearing my pink hard hat.
The rooms have doubled in size compared to the old Hotel Georgia, allowing for spacious bathrooms with deep tubs, multiple vanities, and showers.
Flat screen TVs, WIFI, digital doorbell and privacy button, all up to date comfort features.
Fitness centre, 54′ indoor saltwater lap pool, 24-hour room service.
Fine dining options from the hotel (and Chef Ned Bell), the new Hawksworth Restaurant and Bel Cafe (by Chef David Hawksworth) as well as the new underground bar, Prohibition and the 1927 lounge.
While I only caught glimpses of the art deco detailing, ornate woodwork, and grand chandeliers among wookboots and sawdust, I can tell that a legend has been re-born. The hotel is currently taking reservations for stays after July 1, 2011 but the highly-anticipated Hawskworth Restaurant will be opening this month.
Renderings: Prohibition & the Spanish Ballroom Source: Rosewood Hotel Georgia.
In the meantime, they are looking for your memories from the first incarnation of the Hotel Georgia. Head over to their Facebook or this contest site to enter to win a hotel & dining prize package worth $3,000 by sharing your story.
