Contributor: Talia Kleinplatz

Portrait

Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Talia Kleinplatz fell in love with food at the apron strings of her mother and grandmother whose kitchens wafted the intoxicating aromas of fresh dill, homemade pies and painstakingly slow-cooked brisket. She completed her degrees at Concordia and McGill, graduating with a Master’s in Social Work in 2009. Her six years in Montreal taught her to eat well but it was her move to Vancouver in 2011 that taught her to drink well. In 2013 she launched her award-winning cocktail blog, Two For The Bar. She lives in South Granville with her husband and her three-legged, curmudgeonly cat.

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Intelligence Briefs

On the Complicated History of Curry and the Great Mashed Potato Mystery of Mississippi

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds terrible dining advice and feasts on Game of Thrones.

Intelligence Briefs

On the Millennial Drinking Problem and Dads Stealing All the Girl Scout Cookie Cash

In her latest read of the food and drink news, Talia finds new food court eats and a food writer who thinks hard about word choice.

Intelligence Briefs

On Dive Bars as Endangered Species and Discovering New Ways to Hide Vodka

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds shrooms in marshmallows and good coffee in all the right places

Intelligence Briefs

On Killing the Craft Beer Buzz and Restaurants Asking Guests for Stool Samples

In her latest read of the food and drink news, Talia gets grossed out by a new restaurant concept and looks behind the lens of a famous bartender.

Intelligence Briefs

On Loving Terrible Booze and Setting Venerable French Restaurants on Fire

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia balks at expensive "vintage" water and wonders at pizza-eating pigs.

Intelligence Briefs

On Bad Days With Champagne Towers and Restaurants That Love MAGA Hats

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia revisits the Night Cafe and ponders booze journalism's relationship to social justice.

Intelligence Briefs

On Dinosaur Restaurant Critics and How Politicians Gain from Hospitality Experience

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia sips a Mai Tai and finds a sommelier dissing wine and food pairings.

Intelligence Briefs

On Drinking All the Expensive Whisky and Deep Thoughts on the McRib

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia hears of famous chefs going sober and the origins of our food aversions.

The Dishes

Danielle Tatarin Does ‘The Dishes’

9 Places

Dani might be spending a lot more time in Baja than YVR these days, but she can still point us in the direction of deliciousness...

Intelligence Briefs

On Drive-Thru Groceries and Writing About Beer in Ways That Get You Fired

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds a gummy bear monster and a misogynistic clusterf*ck.

Intelligence Briefs

On the Sommeliers of Everything and How to Properly Complain In a Restaurant

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia consumes a great whisky list and has a laugh with Seth Meyers.

Intelligence Briefs

On the New Canadian Culinary Champion and the Return of Tableside Service

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia digs into homemade bread and looks at the politics of serving people in MAGA hats.

Intelligence Briefs

On Never Putting Parsley in Your Junk and the Genius of Italy’s Perfect Ingredient

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia hears tell of tidy kitchens and tries to imagine Donald Trump buying groceries.

Intelligence Briefs

On Instagram Closing Restaurants and Banning Solo Women From Barstools

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia remembers the Great Molasses Flood and finds a chef doing what's right.

Intelligence Briefs

On Corona’s Right to Be Pissed and the Bizarre Diet of President Richard M. Nixon

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia gets to the bottom of gabagool and learns what BC diners are really like.

You Need To Try This / Downtown

You Need to Try the Dreamily Transportive ‘Mi Luz’ Cocktail at Elisa

Created by Devin McKeigan, this delicious drink is a mix of rum, white vermouth, apple demerara, orange bitters and salted caraway.

Intelligence Briefs

On the Scourge of Fake Whisky and Wonderfully Terrible Restaurant Reviews

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia learns some food rules and wonders at the future of the term "organic".

Intelligence Briefs

On Ratty Trainwrecks and the Role of the Restaurant as a Political Space

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia returns from holidays with new lists, new predictions, and a tale of vermin woe.

You Need To Try This / Gastown

You Need to Try This ‘Gingerbread Flip’ Cocktail in Gastown

The addition of ginger liqueur makes it all the more festive, while some local dark lager adds whispers of chocolate and coffee.

Intelligence Briefs

On Kentucky Fried Christmas and an Arbiter of Truth Considering the Hot Dog a Taco

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia takes a long sip of punch and looks at food trends on the way out.

You Need To Try This / Chinatown

You Need to Try This Classic Song-Inspired Cocktail in Chinatown

Created by Kissa Tanto's Derek Boone, the Dark End Of The Street is a mix of Japanese whisky, plum wine, Cynar, bitters and lemon oil.

Intelligence Briefs

On the World’s Diversity of Funeral Foods and the Coming Extinction of the Black Truffle

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia learns of food-based myths, the year's best cocktails and more.

You Need To Try This / Chinatown

You Need to Try the ‘Amadeus Cho’ Cocktail in Chinatown

Bao Bei Bar Manager Jason Browne plays on a classic Treacle to create a delicious drink that’s simultaneously bright and complex.

Intelligence Briefs

On Unopened Bottles of Trump Vodka and the Responsibilities of Food Journalists

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia learns of inchworm bandits, 'best of' lists and why Christmas trees need pickles.

Intelligence Briefs

On Stealing Butter and Canada’s Consequential Cultural Disdain For Fine Dining

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia worries over romaine and learns the lowdown on canned tomatoes.

You Need To Try This / Main Street

Anh and Chi’s Warming Winter Punch Is Literally on Fire, and You Need to Try It

Aged rum, pineapple, passion fruit, cinnamon, five spice dram, citrus and tea are combined in a teapot and topped with flaming fruit.

Intelligence Briefs

On Trump Sandwiches, Creepy Donuts and Upcoming Vancouver Restaurants

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds meth in mashed potatoes and a pay-what-you-can revenue model.

Intelligence Briefs

On Eating Up Election Cake and Drinking Beer in Fancy Cocktail Bars

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds hot dogs being tested and restaurants turned into offices.