Score Tickets To “Cop Out” With Bruce Willis And Tracy Morgan

We have dozens of tickets to give away to the new WB comedy Cop Out, starring Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis. The first 20 people to tell us in the comments where they watched the Canada-USA gold medal hockey game (with a few words on what it was like) will win a free pair.

Field Trip #623: Heading Out To Toronto To Speak At “Terroir IV”

(photo: Zaniac)

I’ve just finished watching the closing ceremonies and wiped my upper lip clean of the last of its beer froth. Now it’s time to pack for a red eye flight to Toronto, as I’ve been invited to speak at Terroir IV, the 4th annual hospitality industry symposium, with several other food writers and not a few chefs. My particular contributions, I think, will center on new media and the restaurant trade (ie. blogging, twitter, etc.), but I’m really stoked to be on the panel for the Media In The Kitchen discussion:

We want to be culinary stars. The media establishes what is hot for the consumer and the knock down effect is what makes them patronize our restaurants or indulge in the newest culinary ‘trend’. Do local media have a responsibility to help support our culinary culture? A panel of five top food journalists will help us unravel what stories’ make top press and how we elevate ourselves as a culinary destination.

Moderator: Bonnie Stern

Presenters: Sasha Chapman, Adam Sachs, Mitchell Davis, Corby Kummer, Andrew Morrison, Alan Richman & Gabriella Gershenson.

I’m really excited and honoured to be part of such a line-up. I mean, Alan Richman? Wow. I believe we’re all staying at The Drake, which should be plenty of fun, and it will be awesome to stumble around my old stomping grounds once again. We’ll also be dining out for every meal over the four day trip, so look out for lots of updates on Twitter. If you’re not yet following us, come along and say hi @scoutmagazine.

Goodbye Ross Sinclair 1944-2010

Sorry for the lack of posts these last few days. Sad to report my step-father of 33 years has died after a short fight with cancer at his home in Victoria. He was 66. I came over with my brother yesterday to be with my sister and Mom. All are in good spirits, remembering how he’d lived well and relieved he’s free of pain. Together, we wrote his obituary this morning:

Ross Sinclair, surrounded by loving family, passed away peacefully in the early morning of February 26th. Born in Vancouver in 1944, he graduated from UBC (Economics) before moving to Victoria, where he is survived by his wife Laura, brother Alex, sister Kathy, children Kate (Robert Duncan), Alex and Andrew (Michelle Sproule), and grandchildren Alexander, James and Isabelle. Ross was instrumental in the preservation and restoration of several heritage buildings in the city – among them Market Square and his own MacClure heritage home – but he was most proud of his final building project, the Cedars treatment facility at Cobble Hill. He will be remembered most of all for his phenomenal cooking, his love of golf and the open water, his ability to put others at ease with great humility and an always available ear, and the wicked sense of humour that helped to steer him and countless others through many trials.

Ross was a real character, as genuine as could be. True to form, his last words were “Fuck off”, muttered to the nurse who stuck him with his last IV. He will be missed.

Random Photo #609: How To Get Down In The Great White North

65 year old Abel demonstrates an Inuit Blanket Toss at West Vancouver’s Spirit Square, February 18th, 2010.

Scout Photos: Goodbye January We’re So Bummed To See You Go…

It’s been a good and interesting month. It began with my friend Nathan, notorious dog gobbler and sous chef at Lumiere, inviting my wife and I to dine at the Relais Gourmand restaurant. Not since a lunch with the CCC folks at West a couple of months ago had I done a fine dining, multi-course affair with paired wines and petit fours or felt compelled to don a jacket while in a restaurant, so this was something of a special occasion. For certain, I’d been on a tear reviewing inexpensive restaurants for the newspaper, and felt like I’d paid enough dues in poutine, ramen, and burgers to warrant a little foray back into the world of refined excess. I don’t mean to say that I had deserved or earned it, but rather that I supped and drank heartily and naturally in good conscience. Read more

The Corner Suite Bistro De Luxe Opens For Friends And Family…

A pal of mine and I were about town last night and were happily surprised to find The Corner Suite Bistro De Luxe with the paper off the windows and some friends and family in, finally. So we snuck in for a first sip, taste, and look at what the long awaited new restaurant had to offer. It’s a cool-looking space. See for yourselves. They’re closed Monday, but they might open for real this Tuesday once they get their final piece of paper from the city. Take a look in the video below and scroll even further down for a few dozen photos of the exterior and interior, as well as the few plates of food that we sampled… Read more

Food Media Omnibus #536: Local And Foreign Gastro-Scribbles…

Sorry that we allowed this weekly feature to go to pasture in January. To make it up to you, we’ll try and start from where we left off with an extended omnibus mix of the month’s local food writing, with a few add-ons from global scribes at large. Enjoy. Read more

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