A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

On Ratty Trainwrecks and the Role of the Restaurant as a Political Space

There were a couple of new additions to the Scout 25 this winter, including Commercial Drive’s Pepino’s Spaghetti House. Check out the full list and vote for your favourites here!

Hundy, the new burger joint quietly launched in Kits a couple of days before Christmas, looks like it should be a stop for any and all Vancouver burger lovers.

Eater reminds us that restaurants have long be political spaces and this year was most definitely a continuation of that tradition.

“…restaurants have long been platforms for civil unrest, for social justice, and for activism — a fact that has been obscured in the fog of recent history. In the early 1900s, feminists forced their way into restaurants, demanding that they be seated in the main dining rooms, to protest that many American restaurants would not allow women to dine during evening hours without the company of a man.”

From natural wines and specialized amaros to sake and rose vermouth, the Bon Appetit team recounts their favourite sips of 2018.

Juniper’s Chef Warren Chow takes us on a tour of his favourite spots to eat and drink around Vancouver.

Trying out a New Year’s cleanse? Bon Appetit explains why it’s a bad idea today, tomorrow and pretty much any day of the year.

As eggnog season draws to a close, The Daily Beast shares the tale of the boozy, eggnog-fueled riot of 1826 at West Point.

The Globe and Mail’s Alexandra Gill shares her picks for best new restaurants of 2018 (and one from late-2017 that just happened to make the cut).

Similarly, the folks at Bon Appetit round up their favourite restaurants of 2018 including Portland’s Reel M Inn.

With regards to all the toasts that just went down over the holidays, keep in mind that they used to involve actual toast.

“With cups filled with hot wine and ale, topped with soggy bread, drinkers toasted each other with elaborate, clever speeches. It was a type of drinking game that usually ended with everyone getting extremely drunk. Around this time, “toast” began referring to the practice rather than the food.”

From favourite bar openings to best new books to the loss of some noteworthy people, the year’s final podcast episode of Life Behind Bars reflects on the highs and lows of drinking in 2018.

And while we’re on the subject of drinks, here are a few drink-based resolutions for 2019 from the folks at PUNCH.

“My primary resolution for 2019 is to drink more water… hydration is important and I’ll need it if I am going to comfortably achieve my secondary goal of drinking more Lambrusco.”

If, however, culinary resolutions are more your thing, Saveur has a few tried and true tricks for setting some food goals and sticking to them.

In case you’ve been living under a rock this past week or so (as many do during the holidays), there was a rather unfortunate series of events just before Christmas involving Gastown’s Crab Park Chowdery and a rat.

Consequently, Chinatown’s Mamie Taylor’s – which had rented out their basement commissary space to Crab Park – announced it had cut ties with the restaurant after their commissary kitchen passed a full inspection by the health authority.

The official position of Crab Park Chowdery: this did not happen:

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Comment on recent alleged incident with rodent: Investigation concludes this incident did not happen. We’ve conducted a full investigation into the recently reported incident of a rodent allegedly making its way into our prepared food and have unequivocally concluded there is no way this incident could have happened in our kitchen or as a result of any actions by our staff prior to being prepared and served. • We stand by our commitment to the highest food safety standards and procedures. • Everyone is invited down to tour our facility and see all of our food safety procedures. Vancouver / BC – January 1st 2019 After conducting an extensive investigation into all of our food handling procedures, we are 100% confident this rodent could not have come from our establishment. We stand by our commitment to excellence in food quality and service. Please note that in addition to our own in-depth investigation, at no point did Vancouver Coastal Health ever close us down and that point alone should speak volumes to our establishments operating standards. We Invite everyone down to tour our facilities to see for yourself If any questions remain we implore you to come down and see our operation first hand, the safety measures in place and to meet our staff. You will see for yourself just how much we all love what we do, our commitment to excellence and why we are so loved by the community.

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From fried chicken to Japanese desserts, the Georgia Straight’s Tammy Kwan reflects on the city’s biggest food trends this past year.

On a similar note, Alexandra Gill shares a few predictions for food trends to watch for in 2019.

Likewise, Punch has a few ideas about cocktails and spirits that will be trending in 2019.

Looking for work in the industry? Check out who’s hiring

On Believing in Chef Nicolas Cage and Hospitality Workers Living Decently

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds salmon in trouble and patrons who should just stay home.

On Menu Prices Going Up and Customers Fighting Amongst Themselves

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds fewer cooks in the kitchen and Portland lauded for its pizza.

On Suddenly Taking More Tables and Toiling Away in Potentially Lethal Temperatures

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds another chef being a jerk and the labour shortage grinding on.

On No More Takeout Cocktails and Chefs Worrying About the Rising Cost of Food

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds food security woes and new spots getting good reviews.