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 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.

The Dishes

Adam Domet Does ‘The Dishes’

7 Places

We asked Pourhouse Bar Manager Adam Domet to take us on a tour of his favourite spots to dine and drink around Vancouver.

Intelligence Briefs

On Upcoming Restaurants, Champion Tippers and What It Was Like Working With Bourdain

In Talia's latest read of the food and drink headlines, we learn of venerable barkeeps, long lost dive bars and so much more.

The Dishes

David Wolowidnyk Does ‘The Dishes’

12 Places

The international award-winning bartender and Resurrection Spirits GM maps out his favourite spots to eat and drink around town.

Intelligence Briefs

On Pairing Wine With Candy and enRoute’s Picks For Canada’s Best New Restaurants

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia gets tempted by American dive bars and Halloween chocolate bars.

Intelligence Briefs

On Delivering Pizzas of Kindness and the Last Words of a Beloved Food Critic

In her latest read of the world's food and drink headlines, Talia finds the power of pie and how to eat on public transit.

The Dishes

Doing ‘The Dishes’ With the Sons of Vancouver

14 Places

James Lester and Richard Klaus take us on a whirlwind tour of their favourite food and drink spots across the Lower Mainland.

Intelligence Briefs

On Sommeliers Behaving Badly and Restaurants Getting Sexually Suggestive

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia learns about Vij's taking reservations and Stephen Miller eating glue.

The Dishes

Peter Van de Reep Does ‘The Dishes’

11 Places

We asked the renaissance man and Campagnolo Upstairs bartender to draw us a map to some of his favourite local food and drink...

Intelligence Briefs

On Sending Steaks Back and Making Fake Dinner Reservations for Horrible People

In her latest read of the food an drink headlines, Talia finds drunk birds wreaking havoc and the end of a legend in Tokyo.

Intelligence Briefs

On the Coming Trouble With Bacon and How Hard It Is to Be a Bouncer

In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds perfect coffee drinking light and an ode to the humble anchovy.