GOODS: “Salt Tasting Room” Hosting Phillips Brewery Monday, May 30th In The Salt Cellar

Salt Tasting Room is located in Gastown's Blood Alley | 604-633-1912 | www.salttastingroom.com

The GOODS from Salt Tasting Room

Vancouver, BC | Join us at the Salt Cellar on Monday May 30th, 2011 for the 2nd in our beer series as we pair six of Phillips Brewery beers with our artisan cheese and local charcuterie. The Salt Cellar Series is all about sampling, learning and making new friends in an intimate and casual environment. It really is a unique Vancouver experience. Tickets are $40 and the event starts at 7pm.

Purchase tickets at http://bit.ly/qtWfJ. More details after the jump… Read more

GOODS: Gastown’s “Salt Tasting Room” Hosting Pair Of Neal’s Yard Cheese Tastings

Salt Tasting Room is located in Gastown's Blood Alley | 604-633-1912 | www.salttastingroom.com

The GOODS from Salt Tasting Room

Vancouver, BC | Salt Tasting Room is proud to welcome world renowned Neal’s Yard Dairy to the Salt Cellar Series on Monday, May 16th at 7pm and Tuesday, May 17th at 7pm. Usually the focus of the Cellar Series leans towards the grape as we invite winemakers from near and far to share an evening with us. On these dates, the focus shifts slightly as we explore the world of cheese!

The team at Salt takes it’s cheese very seriously. Sean Heather, co-owner of Salt, visits cheese-mongers both locally and around the world for the best products he can find, and when you’re talking about the best, the conversation has to involve Neal’s Yard Dairy in the UK. They are quite particular about the cheeses they represent (and who represents them) and this is your chance to see why. We are privileged to have Chris George from Neal’s Yard Dairy join the team at Salt in hosting these two events, pairing his cheeses to fine wines and condiments. Details after the jump… Read more

Sean Heather To Open “Bitter” Joint On The Downtown Eastside

Sean Heather and Scott Hawthorn, partners at Salt Tasting Room and Judas Goat, are joining forces for a third time to open a new joint called Bitter. “It’s an extension of Salt, really” says Heather, “only its a beer format instead of wine”. Beers will be had in all guises and sizes, from tiny tasters to pitchers, while the food will see fresh pretzels, weisswurst, smoked sausage, house sauerkraut, currywurst, whole smoked ham hocks, pickled onions, scotch eggs, pork pies, and more. Bitter will land on the main floor of the oddly-shaped (flat-iron-ish) building at 18 West Hastings opposite Pigeon Park, and will sport some 140 seats, two entrances (one from the street and one from the back alley), a patio in Center A’s parking lot, a 20ft diameter circular bar and finishing kitchen around which diners will sit and be served, and my favourite thing of all..a neon sign flashing the word “BITTER”.

We’ll be giving you the first look very soon, probably tomorrow after we launch the new version of the site. Until then, dream a little dream of pork hock and ales…

ALL ANTICIPATED OPENINGS

Know Your Local Designer: On A Cedar Log With Brent Comber…

Something spectacular happens where nature meets the urban, and Brent Comber knows all about that. Growing up on Vancouver’s North Shore, the designer’s childhood world was both city living and forest dwelling. Inspired by his surroundings, he began his career in landscaping, working with the raw materials that surrounded him. He acquired his knowledge of landscaping the same way he later acquired his woodworking skills: through his hands. Yet it was through his heart that his work began to transform. When Brent first introduced his work at an outdoor garden show in Vancouver, a woman approached his booth and sat on one of his benches. The woman closed her eyes and ran her hand across the smooth wood. When Brent approached her, she revealed that the fragrance of the cedar transported her back to her childhood, when she and her grandfather would spend hours walking on the the logs that had washed up on the shore. In that moment, Brent discovered the capacity of the wood to tell stories in its own rich and expressive language, and he resolved to continue to craft his pieces with a story in mind. From the 18 foot, one-piece communal table at Salt Tasting Room to the soaring western maple wall sculpture at Yew in the Four Seasons, his artistry can be found in many iconic Vancouver locations.

Indie Profile

Three things about your neighbourhood that make you want to live there: My home is in the Hollyburn area of West Vancouver. I love being able to walk to the beach, to great restaurants and to my children’s schools.

When you finish a piece of furniture intended for a specific space, what do you hope to feel? I feel proud when our work compliments the designer’s vision and excited to see it in context.

What inspires your choice of wood for a given project? It really depends on the particular feel or story I wish to convey. Each wood species can engage people differently, depending on the texture and the finish. For example, our Shattered collection is about the physical energy and thought required to organize the split timber into cubes. It is about the process – the choice of material is secondary.

If wood can tell a story, which one of your pieces carries your favourite story? The Alder Cube. It’s an evocative piece constructed from very simple materials. It also conveys a beautiful story of how a forest can change you as you pass through it. People are fascinated to discover that the piece is constructed from vertical stacked branches and it appears that air is the only thing holding the sticks together. For a moment, you find yourself inside the cube trying to unravel this mystery much like your state of mind when you are in the deep woods. There are other stories hidden within each piece – it all depends on where you look. Read more

Kurtis Kolt Wins “Sommelier Of The Year” AT The Wine Festival

A hearty congratulations to Kurtis Kolt (interview) of Salt Tasting Room who won the Sommelier of the Year award this morning at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. This was my first year being part of the panel voting on this, and though it’s probably gauche of me to say this, I’m just too stoked to rein in my enthusiasm for the result: I voted for Kolt, and I’m very glad so many of my peers did as well. It couldn’t have gone to a more deserving man or woman this year. Well done indeed.

PS. You can keep up with the winner on his personal website Cherries and Clay and follow him on Twitter at @CherriesandClay.

Howe Sound Bringing Its Ales To Salt Cellar This Monday Night

Salt Tasting Room is located in Gastown's Blood Alley | 604-633-1912 | www.salttastingroom.com

News from Scout supporter Salt Tasting Room

Vancouver, BC | Gastown’s Salt Cellar at Salt Tasting Room is excited to host B.C.’s own Howe Sound Brewing as part of the ongoing Salt Cellar Series on Monday, April 19th at 7:00pm.

Howe Sound Brewing provides premium quality, all natural, micro-brewed beers to BC’s Sea To Sky Corridor, from Vancouver to Whistler BC. All of their ales and lagers are handcrafted with no preservatives and they’ve garnered many awards and medals for their efforts.

Salt look forward to hosting the folks from the brewery to taste through an array of their lagers, ales, bitters, imperials, and stouts. The beers will be served in two flights, paired with delicious charcuterie from J, N & Z Deli, Oyama Sausage Company and Moccia’s Italian Meat Market. Artisan Cheeses from the UK, Spain, Italy, France & BC will be on offer along with artisan breads and more.

For more information, and to buy tickets at 40 bucks a pop, visit http://www.salttastingroom.com/cellar or call 604-633-1912 Read more

GM Kurtis Kolt Gives His Notice At Gastown’s Salt Tasting Room

I was sad to receive an email today from my old friend Kurtis Kolt, the GM and Wine Director at Gastown’s Salt Tasting Room, saying he’s given his notice. His last day is Friday, April 23rd. Read the text of his blast after the leap. Read more

The Long Awaited “Judas Goat” Opens In Gastown’s Blood Alley

Co-owner Scott Hawthorn mugs through a Hunter & Gather designed felt peephole in the entrance to Judas Goat

Judas Goat has finally opened in Gastown, and it looks great for a shoebox hideaway that doesn’t take itself too seriously. For an explanation of the art within from co-owner Sean Heather and shot shots of the pre-opening interior shots of the 21 seat, Spanish-inspired tapas micr0-restaurant and wine bar, click here. For shots from their first full day in action, check below for several… Read more

Salt’s All-Stars Welcome Locals And The World For 2010 Games

Gastown's Salt Tasting Room sees a homecoming of alumni just in time for the Olympic Games

News from Scout supporter Salt Tasting Room

Vancouver, BC | The team at Gastown’s award-winning Salt Tasting Room, renowned for artisan cheeses, handcrafted charcuterie and constant Golds for their wine program, will be open and accessible throughout the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, both in the main Tasting Room and underground in the 50 seat Salt Cellar.

To accommodate thousands of locals and tourists, Salt has assembled it’s own Olympic team, beefing up their staff with an All-Star selection of Salt alumni and some of Vancouver’s favourite wine professionals.

Alumni-wise, Jake Skakun (former Manager) and Miguel Quezada (former Server) are flying in from San Francisco and New York respectively, plus making Salt cameos during the Games will be AltoVin’s Mark McNeil (former Chambar Sommelier), The Province’s wine writer James Nevison (author of the bestselling Had A Glass series) and many more surprise appearances. Read more

Holiday Hours & Happenings At Gastown’s “Salt Tasting Room”

Salt Tasting Room | Blood Alley, Gastown | Vancouver, BC | 604-633-1912 | www.salttastingroom.com

News from Scout supporter Salt Tasting Room

Vancouver, BC | Salt Tasting Room will be open for your wine, cheese and charcuterie pleasure throughout most of the holidays. We’ll be open both day and night on Christmas Eve! Take a break from dashing around during the day or to celebrate your last minute shopping finally being done at night! Read more

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