DINER: “Food Cart Fest” Set To Return For Sundays Full Of Awesome All Summer Long

Need another reason to be stoked for this summer’s imminence? The awesome outdoor extravaganza so deliciously seared into our memories as Food Cart Fest is set to make its tasty return every Sunday this summer – starting June 23rd – at a new location: 215 West 1st Avenue. It’s going to be bigger than ever before, with some 20 food trucks parked laager-style around communal tables with community markets, live music, and all manner of ancillary vendors besides making it the raddest bit of real estate in the city ($2 entry charge). We mentioned this excellent eventuality back in March when the old Waldorf team announced the launch of their new agency, Arrival, but now the deets are locked in and we’re super exited to share! Here’s the full skinny, complete with a map that comes free of drool stains…

The Arrival Agency and the Streetfood Vancouver Society are pleased to announce the second annual Food Cart Fest. Beginning Sunday, June 23, at its new home at 215 West 1st Avenue, the festival will run for 14 weeks until September 22. Boasting one of the largest gatherings of food carts in North America, this year’s festival will highlight Vancouver’s exploding street food culture.

Not strictly for foodies though, Food Cart Fest is also about enjoying the summer with friends and family. Building on what many considered a highlight of last summer, each week over 20 food carts will be complemented by community markets, live music, DJs, craft food vendors, and kids’ activities.

After a successful first year, where attendance was upwards of 5,000 each week, the festival is expecting even more people in its new, centralized location. The Arrival Agency worked with Mayor Gregor Robertson and the staff of the City of Vancouver to find an ideal location for the event this year. “We are really excited to be in the heart of the city, connected by so many transit options and right along the Seawall,” says Arrival’s Ernesto Gomez.

The festival’s new location is adjacent to the Cambie Street Bridge and the Olympic Village; between West 1st Avenue and the Seawall (where Cavalia: A Magical Encounter Between Human and Horse took place). The site is a short walk from the Canada Line’s Olympic Village Station; the Aquabus’ Spyglass Place Dock; and bus routes along Broadway, Cambie, Main, and West 2nd Avenue.

Vancouver was recently named one the top three cities for food carts in North America by Travel+Escape and has been drawing international praise for its diverse and delicious street food. “We’re excited to have the entire summer to showcase why we do such a damn fine job here in Vancouver,” says Kaboom Box’s Andy Fielding.

FOOD CART FEST 2013

Launching Sunday, June 23 | 12pm-6pm
Happens every Sunday until September 22 (14 weeks)
215 West 1st Avenue
Admission is $2
Children 13 and under get in free
www.foodcartfest.com
www.facebook.com/foodcartfest

Scout Magazine is a proud sponsor of Food Cart Fest. We’ll be seeing you there!

WELCOME: South Granville’s “Heirloom” Has Joined The Growing Scout Community

We’ve invited South Granville’s wholesome Heirloom Vegetarian Restaurant to join our GOODS section as a good place to grab a bite. They are now proud members of Scout, and as such we will be posting their news in addition to hosting a page for them on our curated list of independent goodnesses. We’d like to take this chance to thank them for their support, and for making Vancouver a more delicious place to be.

ALL THE LOCAL “GOODS”

WELCOME: Local Company “Milano Coffee” Has Joined The Growing Scout Community

We’ve invited Milano Coffee to join our GOODS section as a local coffee roaster and cafe. They are now proud members of Scout, and as such we will be posting their news in addition to hosting a page for them on our curated list of independent goodnesses. We’d like to take this chance to thank them for their support, and for making Vancouver a better caffeinated place to be.

ALL THE LOCAL “GOODS”

DINER: Ex-Wildebeest Chef David Gunawan To Open “Farmer’s Apprentice” Next Month

by Andrew Morrison | There was much rumbling and rumour over the winter about former Wildebeest chef David Gunawan going out on his own to open a new restaurant in the old Che Baba Cantina spot at Fraser and Kingsway. Unfortunately for that neighbourhood, it all fell through. The good news is that he and girlfriend Dara Young have now secured the tragically short-lived Pig & Mortar spot at 1529 West 6th between Fir and Granville. The restaurant – dubbed Farmer’s Apprentice (I love that name) – will seat between 25-30 people and plate a daily constructed menu based on whatever the farmers might deliver that day. That should translate into about 9-10 dishes, plus 2-3 desserts. Cool concept. Giddy-up.

Gunawan tells me that it will have a vegetable focus, but that it won’t be strictly vegetarian. He puts the philosophy thusly: “Good accessible food is more than just a convergence of technique and fertile soil—it derives from the passions of the people who are working toward it. Our approach is a modern interpretation of ecological gastronomy. Ingredients are sourced selectively and cultivated at the peak of their flavours and integrity. The menu traces seasonal variations and changes as frequently as nature permits. Our intention is to endorse young agrarians and food sovereignty through creativity.” He also quotes American man of letters (and noted farmer) Wendell Berry: “The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.”

The location is a bit of a destination and South Granville has long had a bad habit of killing new restaurants with the sharp blade of residential indifference, but considering how well Gunawan did at Wildebeest (it was just named the year’s “Best New Restaurant” at the Van Mag awards) and that many in the community will remember him from his time at nearby West, you have to think that name recognition will generate plenty of curiosity out of the gate. This is also his first time as an owner, so I expect he’ll be swinging for the fences with especially tasty results.

If all goes according to plan and enough of us cross our fingers at the same time, the fully licensed Farmer’s Apprentice will open in late June for lunch and dinner.

ALL ANTICIPATED OPENINGS

The View From Your Window #155: Looking Across False Creek From Fairview Slopes

A.N. | Fairview Slopes | Vancouver, BC | 9:30pm | SHARE YOUR VIEW

We love posting the photographs that reveal the views from our reader’s windows. Whether it’s a back alley in the fall or a sandy beach in high summer, we’re always stoked to see what you see from home, work or while on the road. Some of our all-time favourite reader submissions below… Read more

Heirloom Vegetarian

DETAILS

1509 West 12th Ave. | Vancouver BC | V6J2E2
Telephone: 604-733-2231
Email: info@heirloomrestaurant.ca
Website: www.heirloomrestaurant.ca | Facebook | Twitter
Hours: Open from 11am til late Mon-Fri and from 9am til late on weekends

GALLERY

THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE IT HAPPEN

Owners – Gus Greer & Yogi Johl
Executive Chef – Robert Wilson-Smith
General Manager – David Kenny

ABOUT HEIRLOOM

Heirloom Vegetarian Restaurant reflects a dedication to using thoughtfully chosen organic, fairly traded ingredients with a local and world conscious initiative – We make good choices.

PRESS: The Globe & Mail | Vancouver Sun

DINER: Vij’s Announce Construction On New Restaurant At Cambie & 15th Avenue

Over three years ago, Scout broke the news that Vikram Vij (interview) and his wife Meeru Dhalwala would be opening a new Vij’s restaurant at Cambie and 15th Avenue. Alas, that restaurant has yet to materialise, and news on its progress has been as difficult to get as a table at the world renowned original Indian restaurant in South Granville. This morning however, the following release was sent out:

Award-winning Vancouver-based chef Vikram Vij and his wife Meeru Dhalwala are pleased to announce that construction will begin on their new restaurant location at Cambie and 15th in Vancouver, on June 1st 2013. The restaurant will open within 12 months of work starting.

“I’m delighted to be able to make this announcement; it’s been a long time coming!” says Vij. “The people living near to our new restaurant have been so supportive and patient as we waited for planning processes to be completed. It will be a really big part of this community.”

While plans are still being finalised, the establishment itself will become an iconic landmark and a destination restaurant. Bricault Designs (who designed the interior of Vij’s Rangoli and the Vij’s At Home frozen food bags) will make the bar and dining area modern and welcoming.

What will happen to the current Vij’s restaurant on West 11th and Granville? | Right now, Vij’s will continue to operate normally. When the new restaurant on Cambie opens, the current Vij’s location will close, but it will stay in the Vij’s family and will become a new entity at a later date. And no, we don’t know exactly what that will be right now!

Will the new restaurant be bigger than the current location? | Yes – Vij’s near Granville currently seats 65 people at a time. The new restaurant will seat 80+ and at the new location, you will walk straight into the bar area, rather than walking through the restaurant to the bar and waiting area.

With more tables, will you have a bigger kitchen and more staff? | Our new kitchen will be more than double the size of our current kitchen and will have lots more storage and prep space. At this point though we are not hiring more people and we’re not accepting resumes – we’re still a long way from opening. When we get to that stage, we will let everyone know.

Why has it taken so long to get to this point with the new restaurant? | Simply put, the planning processes have taken a lot longer than anticipated. We are so grateful to the community around the new location for their patience as our building remained undeveloped for so long. We promise that we are going to give you a beautiful addition to your neighbourhood and we hope you will all visit us often!

ALL ANTICIPATED OPENINGS

AWESOME THING WE ATE #892: “Drunken Chicken” On Soba Noodles At Cafe Kitsune

It was quite by accident that we stumbled upon West 2nd’s Cafe Kitsune the other day after a shopabout on Granville Island. The unassuming counter-service tea/lunch spot opened last year, featuring good steeps and a few really clean, healthy, quick, sushi-less, fiddly Japanese-inspired bowls amped up by super bright flavours. Case in point: these buckwheat soba noodles hidden underneath a tangle of cilantro, sesame, radishes, carrot, drunken chicken, ginger, soy, chili, and lime ($8.50). Mmm.

Cafe Kitsune | 1538 West 2nd Avenue | 604-336-3436 | 11:00am – 4:00pm

MORE AWESOME THINGS WE ATE

Beaucoup Bakery & Cafe

DETAILS

2150 Fir Street (@ 6th Avenue) | Vancouver, BC | V6J 3B5
Telephone: 604-732-4222
Web: www.beaucoupbakery.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

GALLERY

THE PEOPLE

Jackie Ellis, baker and owner

ABOUT BEAUCOUP BAKERY

Beaucoup Bakery & Café opened its doors in December 2012, offering French-inspired pastries and childhood favourites with some smart, unique twists. The reason for opening Beaucoup Bakery was simple, to leave the world a happier place, even if through something as simple as a cookie. The company’s priority is to put care and pride into everything it does, from the ingredients used and the little details that go into the baking, through to the way the company treats valued customers and friends.

“At Beaucoup Bakery, we want to share amazing food, prepared with passion,” says owner and baker Jackie Ellis. “The biggest compliment we can receive is seeing someone’s eyes roll back and hear them say that it’s the best thing they’ve ever tasted! We strive to make people love food as much as we do!”

Beaucoup Bakery offers sweet pastries, cakes, seasonal tarts, cookies and viennoiserie, along with sandwiches made in-house—all of which can be enjoyed “to go” or in the charming 16-seat café. The café also includes a small retail area featuring hand-picked food and lifestyle items that match Beaucoup’s commitment to quality: coffee from Vancouver roaster 49th Parallel, Mellifera Bees honey, Lovely Home Idea linens, Black & Blum water bottles and Aquaovo thermoses.

HONOURS AND RECOGNITION

“The opening of Ellis’s South Granville bakery was delayed and then delayed again. And again. The resulting wait created a near-unmeetable expectation upon opening. Which, with the help of her perfect croissants and other transformative pastries, Ellis has been able to exceed.”
Western Living, March 2013 – 40 Foodies Under 40

WE Vancouver’s Best of the City 2013: Best Patisserie – 3rd Place
WE Vancouver, February 27, 2013

“Graphic designer turned boulanger Jackie Ellis opened her South Granville bakery just before Christmas, and made us wonder how we ever did without her decadent treats.”
Vancouver Magazine, Jan/Feb 2013

DINER: Jackie Ellis Of “Beaucoup Bakery” Travels To Paris And Eats (Almost) All Of It

Scout will be reporting from France next month, so when we heard that Beaucoup Bakery owner Jackie Ellis was going ahead of us, we asked her to keep tabs on the top 25 edibles that she came across in her adventures. “After 20 pastry shops, 13 restaurants, 2 pastry courses, and a Valrhona chocolate factory tour,” she says, “these are the results of my 2 weeks of gastronomic research in Paris.” Bon appetit after the jump…. Read more

HEADS UP: Kitsilano’s 05 Tea Bar Set To Pair Rare Teas With Whiskies On April 21st

If you’ve never been before, the O5 Tea Bar is a sleek looking shop on West 4th dedicated to the art of tea. A few weeks ago it held a Raw Elements Tea + Spirits event that focused on Mezcal with Hawksorth bartender Jon Smolensky. The evening saw a mezcal tasting followed by a tea tasting and finished with a tea-infused mezcal punch (see shots above). The liquids were paired with canapes and chocolate, and it was awesomeness all round. The good news is that O5 is hosting a similar event in the near future and we thought you might want to know about it. The bad news? There is none.

The next Raw Elements Tea + Spirits is all about whisky. In addition to the in-house tea experts, O5 has invited whisky sommelier and amiable Bao Bei barman Guy Stowell to serve two whiskies paired with rare teas. He’ll also offer a creative bourbon cocktail for the finish. As with past events, sweet and savoury bites will be circulated throughout. Stoked.

Sunday, April 21 | 6:30pm | O5 Tea bar (2208 West 4th) | $30 | DETAILS

GOODS: Italian Eatery “La Buca” Turning Japanese For Special Supper On April 11th

La Buca is located on the West Side at 4025 MacDonald Street in Vancouver, BC | 604-730-6988 | www.labuca.ca

The GOODS from La Buca

Vancouver, BC | Chris Stewart and Andrey Durbach’s La Buca, located in the heart of the West Side, is partnering with That’s Life Gourmet (Vancouver’s premier sake importers) to host a special Italian-Japanese fusion supper on Thursday, April 11th. Check out the menu and details after the jump… Read more

AWESOME THING WE ATE #891: Monsters & Malted Milkshakes At “Moderne Burger”

by Andrew Morrison | The thought of an ice cold chocolate malted shake in a tall fountain glass doesn’t pop into my head nearly as often as it used to. My Mom and sometimes my Grandparents would buy them for my brother and I with burgers and fries at old school lunch counters. They were awarded for our patience after whole afternoons spent listless and yawning on shopping trips for lady bits at Eaton’s or The Bay. Malted shakes are therefore a halcyon thing. I order one – together with a monster steak burger with bacon and swiss next to a big plate extra crispy fries – whenever I visit Moderne Burger at 2507 West Broadway. It’s the shortest, tastiest route that I know of back to being 10 years old.

MORE AWESOME THINGS WE ATE

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