GOODS: Butter On The Endive Gets Cooking In Gastown At “The Found & The Freed”
November 3, 2011
Vancouver | Squamish | Whistler | 778-989-9349 | info@butterontheendive.ca | www.butterontheendive.ca
The GOODS from Butter On The Endive
Vancouver, BC | Join us as Butter on the Endive and The Found and the Freed present a night of food, drink and antiques. Chef Owen Lightly will be cooking seasonal delights to warm the heart and welcome the coming months of cozy times. We’re very excited to be partnering with The Found and the Freed, Vancouver’s hottest pop-up shop that features re-purposed authentic antique collections found across Canada and the States. Drop in before the Sweater Season Event to say hello to the lovely ladies on their official re-opening, on November 18th. Details after the jump… Read more
A POUND OF BUTTER: On The Mystical Appeal Of Quince (And What To Do With It)
October 27, 2011
by Owen Lightly | For the uninitiated, quince is a magical tree fruit resembling an oddly shaped apple or pear. Golden in colour and covered with a thin veil of fuzz, it has a pleasant scent that will easily fill a room when given the chance. The flesh of the fruit is, for all intents and purposes, inedible in its raw state – only with time, heat, and a little sugar, does it reveal its true powers.
Until I started working in kitchens I had never seen a quince. A relic of the fruit world, there are very few orchards that grow them nowadays. Steeped in mythical lore (argued to be the golden apple that Paris gave Aphrodite), my best luck in finding them has been by asking around at the farmers markets, or by keeping my ear to the ground and listening for people with trees in their yards that might otherwise go unpicked. My supply this year came after a chance encounter with man named T.K. in a Penticton restaurant. My friend casually mentioned to him of our need for some quince, and the next morning we were perched on stepladders plundering his tree. We drove home with over a hundred pounds. Read more
VANCOUVERITES: Eleven Minutes With Chef Owen Lightly Of “Butter On The Endive”
October 18, 2011
(photo: Michael Sider) Owen Lightly is as good a guy as they come. A quintessential British Columbian (not many people have a spring salmon tattooed on their forearm), he was raised on Gabriola Island and formally trained in Nanaimo before working his way through many of our kitchens – among them West, Au Petit Chavignol, Araxi, Market – before going into business for himself. Today, he runs his own catering business, which is named after his popular food blog, Butter On The Endive (kitchen code for “a good looking woman just entered the restaurant”). As regular readers are aware, he has contributed to Scout as a food writer in the past, but you’ll be happy to learn that he is about to launch a regular column on these pages called A Pound of Butter. In advance of its debut, we thought it prudent to ask a few questions of him, for you…
Your first memory? Campbell’s Tomato Soup.
Your ancestry? Welsh and Scottish.
The three books that you read that made an impact on you in your formative years? The Soul of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman; Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres (the movie was terrible!); Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson.
Your favourite word? Caramelize.
Your favourite curse word? Fuck.
Your major character flaw? Neuroticism.
The character flaw in others that you can’t abide? Not delivering what was promised.
The first three things that you do every morning? The three s’s.
What are you listening to as you answer these questions? Feist’s new album, Metals.
Your role model? Growing up I had a neighbour named Laurie. He was about the same age as my parents and always gave me the straight goods. He wasn’t afraid to drop some heavy philosophical shit on me from time to time as well, which never hurts.
Three things about your Mt. Pleasant that make you want to live there: Good restaurants and bars within spitting distance; I can see the mountains when I wake up and there’s lots of cool, creative people doing their thing.
What is the thing you’d like to change about Vancouver? More open spaces for people to congregate.
The Vancouverite that you admire most and why? Brad Miller (owner of the The Red Wagon) for showing me you can be successful in this business on your own terms. Read more
GOODS: Outdoor “Sunwolf Supper” By Butter On The Endive Going Down This July 30th
July 25, 2011
Vancouver | Squamish | Whistler | 778-989-9349 | info@butterontheendive.ca | www.butterontheendive.ca
The GOODS from Butter On The Endive
Squamish, BC | Come enjoy the simple flavours of summer with Chef Owen Lightly as he sources local sea-to-sky ingredients for a four-course, outdoor dining experience on July 30th. Nestled in the Squamish Valley, the Sunwolf property is the perfect place to chill out by the river, adore the mountains, and enjoy a fabulous meal with friends and community. The price is $60 for four-courses of delicious local food. Call 778-238-9600 or email info@butterontheendive to secure your spot. Menu after the jump Read more
GOODS: New Local Caterer “Butter On The Endive” Has Joined The Scout Community
July 23, 2011
We’ve invited local chef Owen Lightly’s new catering company, Butter On The Endive, to join our GOODS section as a recommended local business that is well worth checking out. They’re now a proud member of Scout, and as such we’ll be publishing their news front and center and hosting a page for them on our curated list of independent goodnesses. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Owen for his support of Scout and for making Vancouver a better place to live…
CHECK ALL THE GOODS
DINER: “Chewie’s Steam & Oyster Bar” To Open Up From Kits Beach By Summer’s End
June 28, 2011
by Andrew Morrison | Restaurant trade watchers and bivalve addicts might remember that long-time Rodney’s Oyster House fixture Richard Chew (aka “Chewie”) left the Yaletown icon after five years of shucking toil this past January.
He did so – together with Shine vets Jamie and Mel Haddad – to pick up the original Adesso Bistro space at 2201 Yew Street just up from Kits Beach (vacated last Fall by “Karv”). Chewie gave me a shout over the weekend and spilled the beans:
“Finally, our permits in order for the new space [...] We start our renovations shortly and look to be open by the end of the summer. We are opening a Cajun/Creole-inspired oyster and steam bar.”
If an ex-Rodney’s guy named “Chewie” opening a proper oyster joint next to the beach doesn’t sound quite cool enough, chef Owen Lightly (ex-Araxi) of Butter On The Endive is on board doing the food concept and menu design. Owen is a pretty awesome fellow and a great cook. This is his first big gig as an independent consultant, so I don’t expect he’ll deliver anything short of awesome.
The end result (this September, fingers crossed) will be a 2,300 square footer called Chewie’s Steam & Oyster Bar. Expect 60 seats inside and another 36 on the streetside patio. They’ve just received their development permit. Demolition permits are in the mail.
ALL ANTICIPATED OPENINGS
Once Mighty Voya At The Loden Closes Its Doors For Good
January 20, 2011
A few months ago I made note of the fact that Voya in the Loden Hotel had quickly gone from one of the city’s most promising restaurants to one that was in big trouble (read the whole thing here). Well, they’re finished. Voya has closed and won’t re-open again, at least not as Voya. If all goes according to plan, a new restaurant will be taking its place in the Spring of this year (which probably means next Fall). I’m told it’ll be a re-imagining of a French bistro, and that Marc-Andre Choquette will be at the helm, and that hotel guests are now being given vouchers to dine at the Glowbal Group’s restaurants.
Really, What The Hell Happened To “Voya” In The Loden Hotel?
September 13, 2010
by Andrew Morrison | Read that sign above again. Don’t focus on the spelling errors. Ignore that a supposedly fine dining restaurant of much repute is advertising a tuna melt, and nevermind that it’s nearly 10pm and the staff have forgotten to take in the lunch sign again. I want to, don’t you?
What the hell happened to Voya?
The much ballyhooed restaurant with so much potential in the Loden Hotel has faded away, slowly and without much of a peep. It’s been nearly two years since it opened, and it’s a mere shadow of what it promised to be when it arrived.
Back then, I was convinced it would be rock solid for years to come. I think I even pegged it for some awards. Why? Because it was chef Marc-Andre Choquette’s first swing at the independence bat after working as Rob Feenie’s chef de cuisine for over a thousand years. His cooking had long ago revealed him to be one of the most promising chefs of his local generation, and what he was doing here was really very superb. I top-tenned it in my annual 2008 list of the best new restaurants (#7 in 2008), and gave it one of the best reviews I’d written that year… Read more
The Last Good Summer Night At Owen Lightly’s Sunwolf Supper
August 18, 2010
photo: Brenda Lowe
by Owen Lightly | My friends Jake, Jess, Slater and Tanya recently purchased the Sunwolf Outdoor Centre. The property, sitting right on the Cheakamus River in the Squamish Valley, includes ten cabins, a conference centre and a small licensed cafe with seating for 50. Not long after the purchase, I went over to check it out. The second I saw the cafe I was in love; it’s nestled under a massive walnut tree with the seating outside on beautifully weathered picnic tables. During the day they provide lunches for sunburned river-rafters and the occasional wandering local. At night the cafe sits empty. Hearing this I had a crazy idea: what if I rented out the space one lovely summer evening and held a dinner? Together with my lovely lady friend Naomi Horii, we would like to invite you to… Read more
Mountainous Foodgasms Erupt Up At “Outstanding In The Field”
July 27, 2010
Michelle and I went up to Whistler last weekend for a wee bit of gastronomic excess with some journalists visiting from the United States (cool cats all). It was bloody hot out, so we borrowed a pretty sweet convertible for the duration, and cranked old Rolling Stones tracks all the way up, singing “Pleased to meet you, won’t you guess my name, wooo-hooo!” Good times…
After checking in at the Westin (hooray for pools), we headed straight for Araxi, this year’s critic’s choice for Best Whistler at the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. It and Bearfoot Bistro are my two Whistler reliables, as their respective chefs – Melissa Craig and James Walt – are two of the best in BC. We couldn’t get up in time to enjoy lunch at BB with the American journos, but they regaled us with tales of noon-hour excess. One of them even fell asleep at the table after the lunch had ended! I had the opportunity of being a judge when Melissa won the Canadian Culinary Championships in Toronto a few years back, so I have pretty good idea as to the excellence of what we missed. Sigh…it sounded fantastic, like a fisherman’s “one that got away” tale. There’s always next time…
The 10 of us – happily received in Araxi’s private room by GM Steve Edwards – were led through five courses prepared by James and his crew (including recently minted sous chef Owen Lightly). Several of the best meals I’ve ever had in my life have been enjoyed in that room, and this one was definitely in the running. It began with a tiny, Caprese-esque salad of GME heirloom tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil sorbet, gazpacho vinaigrette and nasturtiums, crescendo-ed with a plate of Pemberton Meadows shortribs that had been cooking for 72 hours, and finished with white chocolate-pistachio nougat glacé dealt by pastry chef Aaron Heath. Wine Director (and charmer) Samantha Rahn made some great and sometimes brave pairing moves – like saddling the beef up to a seven year old Austrian Gruner Veltliner – but…if I can channel Hopper for a sec, it was pure poetry, man…poetry. Here’s the menu… Read more
