How To Pick Up Hot Servers In A Restaurant, Courtesy Of 24Hrs

Woah, did I just read that? Yup, I did. In her feature this week, Kristen McKenzie of 24hrs newspaper starts explaining how to properly secure a patio table before suddenly, awesomely, segueing to deliver genuine, heartfelt, and totally sincere advice for especially classy restaurant patrons looking to tastefully score with the staff without looking too desperate… Read more

Will Michael Jackson’s Death Mean The End Of Iran’s Revolt?

- Michael Jackson’s Thriller video re-enacted by 1,500 Philippino prisoners.

Michael Jackson died today. I could say plenty about how odd he was and how much of an impact he had on pop music, but all I can think of right now is that his passing couldn’t possibly have come at a worse time. Read more

Scout List: On Golden Days With The Virgins And Skull Skates

The main objective of this website is to ‘scout’ out and promote the things that make Vancouver such a sweet place to be. We do this with an emphasis on the city’s independent spirit to foster a sense of connectedness within and between our communities, and to introduce our readers to the people who grow and cook our food, play the raddest tunes in our better venues, create our most interesting art and design everything from what we wear to the spaces we inhabit.

The Scout List is our carefully considered first rate list of super sweet things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. Read more

Penticton Christmas Market

I didn’t know that I wanted some furniture made out of old wine barrels before I stopped by the Penticton Christmas market in the heritage Cannery building this morning. The market is fairly slow and small but this is Penticton in November. It’s worth worth a stop.

oak barrel wine rack

I was crossing my fingers and toes that Joy Road Catering would have a table set up with their to-die-for homemade granola. No luck. But there was some fun stuff: sweaters and soap, baked goods and glass beads, jewelry and all the other crafty doodads you’d expect. Most interesting was The Broken Barrel Furniture Co., a business that makes handcrafted furniture from old oak wine barrels sourced from wineries in Naramata, Kelowna and Oliver. Their motto is something like “the tables are built strong enough to dance on.” Nice! I’d like one of the coat hangers made from barrel staves.

Julius Weber, of J&S Weber Fruit Summerland had a killer old-school fruit stand going on, stocking over seven varieties of organic apples and a slim selection of pears and fresh unshelled nuts. I loaded up on the MACs, Spartans and Fujis that were selling for 50 to 60 cents a pound.

Julius Weber selling his sweet wares

He was pushing the Newtown apples as stars for baking and cooking (clearly he doesn’t know me) and was also hawking Golden and Red Delicious, Jonagold, Mutsu and Sinta. You can find Julius and his lovely, tiny, tasty apples at the indoor Kelowna Farmer’s Market most often and around Penticton winter markets (as suits him).

The Cannery building is also home to the cozy CAN Coffee and the Cannery Stage. A neat, multi-purpose coffee shop turned theatre turned art gallery (local artist Joel Reid is currently on exhibit). It’s a great place to soak up that arty, local vibe with a newspaper or a friend over a steaming Americano.

The Penticton Christmas market runs every Saturday from 10am to 2pm until December 20.

Refuel

Details

1944 West 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 1M5 | MAP
Telephone: 604-288-7905
E-mail: info@refuelrestaurant.com
Web: www.refuelrestaurant.com
Hours: Daily for lunch and dinner from 11:30am to late
Brunch Saturday & Sunday 11:30am to 3:00pm.

Gallery

The Team

Sommelier/Proprietor: Tom Doughty
Executive Chef/Proprietor: Robert Belcham
General Manager: Katharine Manson
Chef de Cuisine: Jane Cornborough
Bar Manager: Rob Scope

About Refuel

Refuel Restaurant & Bar serves affordable, casual Northwest cuisine in a comfortable neighbourhood atmosphere. Inspired by freshness, the room welcomes with a playful, warm design by Marc Bricault, where guests can sit back, socialize and be themselves. Diners can gather around a table with friends and feast on simple honest food or relax at the bar, while sipping a handcrafted cocktail and enjoy music styled by the experts at Zulu Records.

At the bar, the focus is on thoughtfully prepared cocktails, along with craft beer and approachable wines. The cocktail menu emphasizes a back-to-basics approach, featuring10 cocktails that are each a classic or a twist on a classic. The paired-down wine list boasts an expert selection of affordable, crowd pleasing wines by the glass and bottle that complement the menu. For those seeking something a little more adventurous a compiled list of special vintages and esteemed producers is available by request. The beer list impresses with over 36 local and international craft brews, including a large selection of canned beer. Rounding out the beverage menu is a selection of canned ciders.

Hailed as the 2009 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards Chef of the Year, Executive Chef Robert Belcham sources only the best quality seasonal ingredients from as close to home as possible.  Doing all of his butchery in house, Belcham and his kitchen team offer an incredible selection of house made charcuterie from “the Cure” and whole cuts meant for sharing. Open for lunch and dinner daily, with special brunch features on the weekends, the Refuel menu has an incredible selection of snacks, sides, starters, mains and plates to share that utilize quality ingredients and offer excellent value. Local favorites include dry spiced pork ribs, crispy humboldt squid, buttermilk fried chicken, pan roasted ling cod and an 18 oz dry-aged prime ribeye steak for two served with creamed spinach and pommes frites.

Accolades

2009 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards | Chef of the Year Robert Belcham

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