Scout Magazine » Kitsilano Restaurants

Seen In Vancouver #287: Sign At Kitsilano’s “Trattoria Italian Kitchen” Is Brutally Honest

Scout Magazine — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 20:55:29 +0000

This little Freudian oopsie on the sandwich board outside West 4th’s Trattoria Italian Kitchen has been making folks in Kitsilano giggle all day. Reader P.P. was kind enough to capture it for us: “I thought they’d have figured it out in the two hours from when we passed by the first time…but no.” Poor dears.

Kistilano’s Bishop’s Celebrates 25 Years With New “Old Classics”

Scout Magazine — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 05:53:41 +0000

Bishop's restaurant is located at 2183 West 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC | 604-738-2025 | www.bishopsonline.com

News from Scout supporter Bishop’s

Vancouver, BC | “It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play.” Twenty-five years (and one month) ago, John Bishop taught Vancouver about eating local, seasonal and sustainable food and in doing so, helped create a local cuisine culture. Bishop’s Restaurant first opened its doors to the public 25 years ago last month (December 14, 1985) and it is celebrating the occasion with a special prix fixe menu that pays homage to its first menu so many years ago. Priced at $49, the four-course menu includes such Bishop’s classics as Goat Cheese Salad, Dungeness Crab Cakes, Lamb Three Ways and Death by Chocolate. Read all about it after the jump…

A Silver Anniversary is a long time in any relationship, but the love affair between John Bishop and local ingredients could not be stronger or healthier. Very early on Chef Bishop connected with the King family’s Hazelmere Organic Farm who provided the restaurant with its initial supplies of fresh local, seasonal produce. That was a radical idea back in 1985 when most Vancouver establishments served some version of ‘European’ or ‘Continental’ dishes and got their produce from large food-jobbing wholesalers. Bishop’s was at the vanguard of an eating revolution that sees most restaurant chefs today supporting and promoting their local ingredients and producers.

“I wanted to challenge Chef to re-create and re-imagine some of the dishes that were our original signatures,” says John Bishop of the special menu that will be available Sundays through Thursdays starting January 13th through February 10th this year. Twenty-five years ago, it was Chef Bishop in the kitchen. Now the very talented Chef Andrea Carlson leads the brigade – the same Andrea Carlson who created the very first 100-Mile Diet Menu served in a restaurant. How times have changed.

First on the menu is a Warm Goat Cheese Salad. “No one even knew what goat cheese was back then. Now goat cheese salads are ‘old hat.’ This one features cheese that is locally made by Debra Amriens-Boyes and George Boyes of Farmhouse Cheese in Agassiz.” The redux version features petit balls of cheese that have been delicately breaded, sautéed and arranged on a plate with artfully scattered freshly-picked greens and toasted walnut meats. Next up is a signature dish: Dungeness Crab Cake with crisp potato and fennel cream. Fraser Valley Lamb is then served three ways – shredded neck meat in aspic, loin chop and roast, in a red wine jus. Seasonal roasted root vegetables (sweet parsnips and carrots for instance) complement the dish. Last up is ‘Death by Chocolate’ – the decadent confection of a warm dark chocolate cake with raspberry coulis. “There is no way to improve on this dessert, it’s perfect,” says Chef Carlson. “All I’ve done is add a scoop of house-made, buttermilk ice cream to it.”

The special Bishop’s Classics Menu caps off an award-filled year for the restaurant, Chef Carlson and John Bishop personally. It started with Bishop’s winning Gold for Best Regional and Silver for Best Service at the annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. More gold and silver followed in the in Best of the City Awards (WestEnder), Golden Plates (The Georgia Straight) and Stars of Vancouver (The Vancouver Courier). Chef Carlson received the Green Award from the Vancouver Magazine Awards as well as being named a Local Hero by Edible Vancouver Magazine. Mr. Bishop was honoured with the inaugural Nation’s Table Award given by the Governor General and later in the year received Cuisine Canada’s Edna Award for Lifetime Achievement.

BISHOP’S CLASSICS REVISITED

25th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Sundays through Thursdays | January 13 – February 10, 2011

WARM CRUSTED GOAT’S CHEESE
winter greens, walnuts

Dungeness Crab Cake
crisp potato, fennel cream

FRASER VALLEY LAMB
root vegetables, red wine jus

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE
raspberry coulis

$49

Open for dinner every evening from 5:30pm to 11:00pm

2183 West 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6K 1N7 | MAP | Tel: 604-738-2025
Email: inquire@bishopsonline.com
Web: www.bishopsonline.com

The Team

Proprietor: John Bishop
Executive Chef: Andrea Carlson
Maitre d’: Abel Jacinto

About Bishop’s

[imgset:72157613683078708,square,true]

“This is the place for those who want the best of everything without the taint of pretension.”
Vancouver Magazine

Tucked away on West 4th in Kitsilano is a legendary restaurant with a big reputation. For more than 20 years John Bishop has led the field in serving food that is organic, produced locally and sustainably. Many consider his eponymous Bishop’s to be Canada’s version of Chez Panisse. With a reputation like that, lots of people don’t realize that Bishop’s is also a cosy neighbourhood haven serving quality dishes at affordable prices. John and Chef Carlson work directly with fishers, producers and growers to source the pick-of-the-crop and menus change constantly to reflect this.

Dining at Bishop’s is like having dinner at the home of an elegant friend. From the warm reception that greets you to a table dressed in “soothing linen” surrounded by spectacular West Coast First Nations art, you know you will be pampered in this urban oasis of calm. The art on the walls a fitting backdrop to the culinary art of Chef Carlson.

Abel Jacinto presides over a wine cellar that features the best of British Columbia with hard-to- find and rare wines from around the world. The list is consistently updated.

Bishop’s is a proud foundation member of OceanWise and the Green Table Network.

Accolades

John and his restaurant have been honoured with numerous awards including:

Mobil Travel Guide Four Stars, 2008
Gold Medal, Cuisine Canada National Cookbook Awards 2008 (for Fresh)
Inaugural recipient of the Green Award, Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards
Best Restaurant (numerous years), Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards
Best North American Cuisine, Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards

——————————————————————

A Travelers Taste Of Southern Thailand At West 4th’s ‘Maenam’

Scout Magazine — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 09:39:54 +0000

West 4th's crticially acclaimed Maenam is located at 1938 West 4th Ave in Kits | 604-730-5579 | www.maenam.ca

News from Scout supporter Maenam

Vancouver, BC | Fresh off his annual three week exploration through Southeast Asia, Chef Angus An has launched a new menu highlighting the iconic street eats of Southern Thailand. This food vendor speckled region offers cuisine themed by local seafood, fruits, and nuts, with dishes that are typically fresh and sharp or nutty and spicy. Largely influenced by its proximity to coastlines and a land border with Malaysia, the south has a strong Muslim presence resulting in the widespread use of spices like cumin, fennel, anise, and turmeric.

In the months to come, guests at Maenam can expect to try dishes like Kao Yum Pak Tai, an elegant rice salad of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, green mango, cucumber, pomelo, toasted coconut, betal leaves, and lime; Kua Kling Beef, an aromatic turmeric spiked dish with thinly sliced beef, kaffir lime zest, galangal and kaffir lime julienne; Tom Som Plah, hot and sour soup of sablefish and turmeric accented with dill; and Mussaman Gat, a mussaman curry of lamb leg, with toasted peanuts, perfumed with lots of dried spices and balanced with pineapples and pearl onions. To view Maenam’s new lunch, dinner and take out menus please visit www.maenam.ca.

About Maenam

[imgset:72157620461086537,square,true]

The cuisine at Maenam is rooted in balancing intense fresh flavours with seasonal ingredients and locally sourced products, while always considering the context within which these dishes would traditionally be enjoyed. Maenam is open seven days a week, from Tuesday to Saturday from 12:00PM to 2:30PM, Monday to Sunday from 5:00PM to 10:45PM, and late night on Friday and Saturday from 10:45PM to 1:00AM. For more information or to make a reservation please visit www.maenam.ca.

———————————————————————-

In addition to providing daily editorial, Scout is dedicated to supporting and promoting cool, interesting, and independent British Columbian businesses through the publication of their press releases and event info. To learn how to get your news up on our front page, check out our supporter details page here.

———————————————————————-

Kitsilano’s “Refuel” Celebrates 1st Birthday With Cava & Deals

Scout Magazine — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:43:28 +0000

Refuel Restaurant & Bar is located at 1944 West 4th Ave in Vancouver | 604-288-7905 | www.refuelrestaurant.com

News from Scout supporter Refuel

Vancouver BC | Refuel Restaurant & Bar turns one year old, Thursday December 2, 2010 and is spreading the love to diners and shoppers throughout the month of December with a little extra value. Refuel will be pouring Cava all day long for diners on December 2nd and encourages guests to stop in and raise a glass in honour of its first birthday. The festivities don’t stop there, Refuel is extending its famous burger and beer special, offering it all day long, throughout the month of December.

Kitsilano holiday shoppers can dig into one of Vancouver’s best burgers paired with one of Vancouver’s best local craft beers anytime of the day during the month of December at Refuel Restaurant & Bar. This tasty burger & beer special is available for just $15.50, throughout the day (11:30am – 10:30pm Sunday through Thursday and 11:30am – 12am Friday and Saturday) starting December 1, 2010 until December 24, 2010. A juicy hand-ground dry aged Alberta beef patty with the Cure’s bacon, cheddar cheese and mayonnaise served on a toasted house-baked bun. Triple cooked Kennebec french fries are served on the side, to be washed down with a draught beer from the award winning R&B Brewing Co. Available on tap, is R&B’s Raven Cream Ale and Bohemian Lager.

About Refuel

Refuel neighbourhood restaurant and bar was inspired by freshness. Veering away from an exclusive ‘fine dining’ experience into one that is more accessible, the new space welcomes with a playful, warm design by Marc Bricault that evokes a neighbourhood atmosphere where guests can sit back, socialize and be themselves. Guests may watch the kitchen brigade while sipping a handcrafted cocktail at the 12-seat bar, or gather around a table with friends while listening to music compiled by the experts at Kitsilano’s Zulu Records.

Refuel’s food philosophy focuses on affordable, honest, down-to-earth Northwest fare that celebrates seasonal, local ingredients. 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. At the bar, the focus is on thoughtfully prepared, classic cocktails, along with craft beer and approachable wines.

———————————————————————-

First Look Inside The Upcoming Q4 Al Centro In The L’Hermitage

Scout Magazine — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:14:28 +0000

by Andrew Morrison | I took a look inside the construction site of Q4 al Centro this morning. It’s the new downtown incarnation of Kitsilano’s Q4 Ristorante (formerly known as Quattro on Fourth), located on the ground floor of the 60 room boutique L’Hermitage hotel at 788 Richards. From the PR:

“We’ve had our eye on the perfect downtown location for some time, and you can’t beat Richards and Robson,” said Patrick Corsi.
The new restaurant will be open for dinner nightly, and lunch Monday to Friday. Box Interior Design is planning a warm, stylish comfortable space with approximately 70 seats including plenty of room at the bar which is expected to appeal to visiting hotel guests as well as residents of L’Hermitage en Ville residential tower.

Making the move over is Q4′s veteran executive chef Bradford Ellis. I’m told al Centro will offer the staple dishes - “classic, unpretentious Italian” – of the original Q4 (think Spaghetti Quattro, etc), with some new plates as well. His new kitchen also comes equipped with a pizza oven, which is fronted by four chairs for guests keen to watch the action.

The dining room seats just over 50, an additional 12 seats at what promises to be a very attractive bar. Artist Jason Gogo is doing a large mural work above it, painted – if I heard correctly – with wine. True to form, Box ID has done a superb job on the space (see also Coast, Market, Watermark) with lots of blond wood, tile, mirrors, glass, little wine nooks and brown leather. Red-wine accented walls soar up from gorgeous, sound-suppressing cork floors to high concrete ceilings. Opening day is slated for December 10th.

Take a look for yourself…

ALL ANTICIPATED RESTAURANTS