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Food Media Omnibus #261

Our weekly distillation of who wrote what in city print and what’s being said on the local blogs…

In Print…

This week’s Westender has my picks for the Best New Restaurants of the Year. The shorter version:

  1. La Quercia
  2. DB Bistro Moderne
  3. Campagnolo
  4. La Brasserie
  5. Cibo
  6. Two Chefs and a Table
  7. Voya
  8. Trattoria Italian Kitchen
  9. The Irish Heather
  10. Cafe Medina

Picking favourites is a totally subjective and personal exercise, of course, so my choices should only be read as a measure of my own tastes (such as they are). If you want to get in on the game, the Scout reader’s nod for Best New Restaurant of the Year is still an open poll, so if you haven’t voted yet please do so below.

What Was The Best New Restaurant of 2008?

View Results

Moving on…Alexandra Gill goes lukewarm on Voya in the Loden in the Globe and Mail:

The waiter tried to tell us that this huge hunk of bone-in meat was gorgeously tender because it had been cooked sous vide (in a plastic bag under water) at extremely low temperatures for 15 hours.

So why did it taste so chewy? Why was the ruby-red meat cut in thick, fat, barbarian chunks? And why were the pommes frites ($5) served in two tones (a waxy pale white and crisped brown)? I’ve had much better steak at The Keg.

It was a terribly confusing dinner. There seems to be such a gaping disconnect between Voya’s globally inspired, inventive small plates and these boring shared platters. Were they even created by the same chef?

Also in the Globe, Vikram Vij reflects on last year’s trip to Mumbai and shares a recipe for yogurt and tamarind-marinated grilled chicken.

Tara Lee dishes on Moroccan tajines in the Georgia Straight (Yay! Tara Lee!), plus Stephen Wong writes a great little piece on the pleasures and practicalities of dim sum, and Jurgen Gothe gives us his picks for the best local wines of the year.

In the Vancouver Sun, Mia Stainsby enjoys blow-torched sushi at downtown’s new Japanese fancypants joint, Miku.

In the North Shore News, Deana Lancaster measures Rob Feenie’s impact on the menu at West Vancouver’s Cactus Club.

On the Blogs…

Why is the first rule of Fight Club (don’t talk about Fight Club) not adhered to by those operating secret restaurants out of their homes? And how is it secret when they’re doing all they can to promote it? There’s a post up on LiveJournal tonight hawking a local pirate vegan restaurant “in a cute house near Fraser & 15th”. Anyone in the mood for a pro-foie gras picket outside? What about making fake reservations for 20?

Jeannette Ordas of Everybody Likes Sandwiches writes up Two Chefs and a Table for the Food Network’s Bazaar blog.

Twenty-Four Carat gets invited to Richmond’s CHOP dry run. It’s a thoroughly amusing write up, at least in an I can’t believe I’m totally incapable of relating to a 21 year old anymore kind of way.

Joe Mallozzi checks out DB Bistro.

As Genesis put it, that’s all.

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There are 9 comments

  1. I really wish I knew why Alexandra Gill is such a miserable bitch? Her opinion is as valuable as zimbabwe’s dollar and more outdated than my parents furniture.
    She should really quit the game. Enjoy the Keg and your failings as a writer!

  2. I don’t get the industry hostility to her. She’s a very good writer and appears to know more about food than most critics. I hope she gets a raise.

  3. Your picks are good, Andrew, but I would have swapped La Quercia for Campagnolo. I had a terrific meal there last night.

  4. I really fail to see why you would want to picket a bunch of happy vegan kids eating delicious home-made food. Seriously.

  5. Hi Brianna,

    No one wants to do that. It’s just that the Vancouver restaurant community has had a tricky time with the more militant vegans this year. I guess it was inside baseball. 😉