The Scout List: A Curated Agenda For Discerning Vancouverites

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 agenda of super awesome things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. From our calendar to yours… Read more

Foreign Intelligence Briefing #385: Asteroid To Get Uncomfortably Close On November 8

There are plenty of asteroids out there – literally millions – so why is this one so special? Well, seldom does a space rock the size of a dozen cruise ships come between the earth and the moon, and this one – gulp – will (the last time was in 1976, and we didn’t even know about it until after the fact). 2005 YU55 – which I’m nicknaming “please don’t, sweetheart” – is going to hopefully pass inside the moon’s orbit of our planet in a little under a week. Scientists are saying that there’s no cause for alarm, so…thanks. Freak nasty NASA animation after the leap… Read more

GOODS: “Cibo Trattoria” Presents The Often Elaborate And Esoteric Food Of Lombardy…

Cibo Trattoria is located in the Moda Hotel at 900 Seymour Street in Vancouver, BC | 604-602-9570 | CiboTrattoria.ca

The GOODS from Cibo Trattoria

Vancouver, BC | On Wednesday, November 9th, Cibo’s monthly travelogue of food from the various regions of Italy takes us to Lombardy.  This diverse region stretches from the Alpine meadows near the border of Switzerland to the cosmopolitan city of Milan and on to the Po Valley – the heart of Italy’s rice production. Executive Chef Neil Taylor’s menu showcases this widely divergent cuisine, and you can check it out after the jump… Read more

GOODS: David Suzuki At “C” To Celebrate The Restoration Of A First Nations Fishery

C is located at 2-1600 Howe St on the False Creek seawall in Vancouver BC | 604-681-1164 | www.crestaurant.com

The GOODS from “C” Restaurant

Vancouver, BC | On Thursday, November 10th, C Restaurant is throwing a dinner hosted by sustainability titan David Suzuki. The evening is a fundraiser for the DSF and C’s burgeoning not-for-profit, the C Blue Foundation, a grassroots initiative by Harry Kambolis and Chef Robert Clark to raise essential funds to protect lakes, rivers, streams, beaches and oceans. The DSF and C Restaurant collaboration has netted an exceptional partner, the Lake Babine First Nation reserve fishery. Back when Rome was a mere village, the Lake Babine people operated traditional salmon weirs on their lake and river, harvesting hundreds of thousands of sockeye a year. Tragically, their traditional fishery was extinguished in 1906 by the Canadian government, to make room for an industrial coastal fishery. It devastated an entire way of life. This past summer, the Nation recreated their fishery, in partnership with Skeena Wild Conservation Trust, Raincoast Trading of Vancouver, and RiverWild Seafoods of Terrace. It has become the second largest sustainable sockeye fishery in British Columbia. Read more

INGREDIENTIA: The Magic of Local Shrooms & Andrey Durbach’s “Tagliatelle Boscaiola”

by Claire Lassam | If there is a list out there of foods that sell like crazy in restaurants but home cooks seldom try, wild mushrooms would definitely be on it, and very near the top. And fair enough, if someone hadn’t personally shown me how to clean a morel, I would probably be incredibly intimidated by it.

But wild mushrooms aren’t just hard to clean, they’re also hard to find, not to mention pretty expensive. They’re only in season for brief periods and you have to know what to get and when. For those with some courage and a car, foraging locally is an option. I’ve heard that chanterelles aren’t too tricky to locate on the North Shore and around the Squamish area (lacking bravery and a drivers license, I’ve yet to try). Some of the ones we see in stores come from these parts, but lots come from Saskatchewan and more still come from Eastern Europe, particularly Romania.

Chanterelles might be my favourite type of wild mushroom. They’re soft, earthy and slightly nutty with a texture that can hold up to cooking but never gets chewy. Cooking with them dates back to the 1500′s, where they became very popular in France (and thus countries influenced by French cuisine in the 1700′s). They held for many years a high reputation for being an ingredient for the nobility across the Continent. If Catherine D’Medici ate it, I want to too.

If you’re looking, you can find them at Whole Foods, Urban Fare, South China Seas (sometimes) and occasionally at some green grocers (last year they had them at Norman’s on The Drive, but this year, no dice!). And if you can’t find them at a shop (or a farmer’s market) there are lots of restaurants featuring them.

You can grab them on pizzas at Campagnolo, with a bison steak at Chambar, with a chicken duo at Ensemble, and -if you’re lucky – you can still catch them at Cafeteria, Pied a Terre, and La Buca in the wake of their Wild Game and Mushroom Festival. Chef Andrey Durbach (interview) has kindly given us a recipe to try at home… Read more

GOODS: Chef Jeff Van Geest Plating Fall & Winter Menu At The Okanagan’s “Miradoro”

Miradoro is located at 32830 Tinhorn Creek Road in Oliver, BC | 250.498.3742 | www.miradoro.ca

The GOODS from Miradoro

Oliver, BC | Miradoro Restaurant, British Columbia’s premiere winery restaurant, is delighted to announce its new fall and winter menus. The destination restaurant at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards offers stunning panoramic views of the South Okanagan Valley wine country and features Mediterranean-influenced cuisine that showcases the region’s finest ingredients. In the kitchen, Executive Chef Jeff Van Geest is guided by the belief that there’s nothing better than simply, well-prepared ingredients from our local fields, forests and ocean. Drawing inspiration from Spain, Portugal and Italy – cuisines designed to pair perfectly with wine — Van Geest works closely with local farmers and producers to pay homage to the bounty of the Okanagan. Locally and ethically produced, greens from Sesen Farm & Seeds and beef from Okanagan’s Finest Angus Beef feature prominently on Miradoro’s menus. Read more

Smoke Break #890: How Did Our Population Get To 7 Billion From 1 Billion In 200 Years?

Blame the doctors! A great visualisation by Adam Cole and Maggie Starbard of NPR, via Laughing Squid.

TAKE ANOTHER SMOKE BREAK

GOODS: Local Four Seasons Chef Ned Bell Gets Ready For Friday’s “Gold Medal Plates”

YEW Restaurant is located in the Four Seasons Vancouver at 791 West Georgia St | 604.692.4939 | YewRestaurant.com

The GOODS from YEW restaurant + bar

Vancouver, BC | The culinary team at YEW restaurant + bar and Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver are very excited to compete in Gold Medal Plates this Friday evening, November 4. Led by Executive Chef Ned Bell, a previous event competitor, this represents Four Seasons’ first time in the culinary challenge. Truly a battle of Vancouver’s very best, Bell will be competing against ten very accomplished chefs from British Columbia. YEW restaurant + bar and Four Seasons Vancouver are paired up with BC wine phenomenon, Black Hills Estate Winery. Bell and his team, which includes executive sous chef Craig Dryhurst and sommelier Emily Walker, have been working hard to wow guests, judges and Olympians.  ”We have upped our game,” says Bell.  ”We can’t wait to showcase YEW’s new seafood concept and the talent and innovation on our team with a sophisticated twist on ‘surf and turf.’” Of course the specifics must remain confidential until Friday evening. Good luck team! Read more

GOODS: “Hawksworth” Pairs With Marquis Wine Cellars For South African Supper

Hawksworth is located in Rosewood Hotel Georgia at 801 West Georgia St. | www.hawksworthrestaurant.com

The GOODS from Hawksworth

Vancouver, BC | On Wednesday, November 16 2011, Marquis Wine Cellars has teamed up with Hawksworth Restaurant, one of Vancouver’s hottest new restaurants, to launch the arrival of their latest wine discoveries from South Africa. Wines will be paired with a menu collaboratively designed by Marquis Wine Cellars and Chef David Hawksworth, who is one of Canada’s foremost chefs (Hawksworth was recently named to the top three Best New Restaurants in Canada by enRoute magazine). Some of the wineries being featured include Grangehurst, Rijk’s Private Cellar, Le Riche, Edgebaston, Jardin and Colmant. Details after the jump… Read more

GOODS: Mission Hill Named “Winery of the Year”, Collects 20 Medals At InterVin Comp

Mission Hill is located at 1730 West Bank Rd in West Kelowna, BC | 250-768-7611 | missionhillwinery.com

The GOODS from Mission Hill Family Estate

Vancouver, BC | Mission Hill Family Estate has been named “Winery of the Year” at the InterVin International Wine Awards Competition, topping the list of more than 300 wineries entered in this year’s competition. Mission Hill Family Estate collected a total of 20 medals for its portfolio of fine wines spread across virtually every category in the competition. Presented by Vines Magazine — Canada’s preeminent wine resource guide, and the producers of the annual Gourmet Food & Wine Expo — the InterVin International Wine Awards recognizes and celebrates the very best wines available to Canadian consumers. The panel — a team of judges featuring hospitality, wine journalism, wine education and winemaking professionals — uses an objective, blind tasting format to reach its decisions. Competing wines were grouped by varietal or wine-style, ensuring that each wine was fairly evaluated alongside its peers. Read more

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