Contributor: Talia Kleinplatz
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.
On Restaurants Versus COVID-19 and How We Can Help Them Weather the Storm
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia stares into the abyss of COVID-19 and how it's effecting the hospitality trade.
On Better Ways to Waste Vodka and the Great Restaurant Panic of 2020
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds a focus on resilience and local restaurants getting squeezed.
On British Columbian Cooks Going Camping and the Fascinating Sex Lives of Trees
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia learns about insanely-priced Irish whiskey and the courage of seagulls.
On Mythical Sugar Highs and the Growing Acceptance of People Who Don’t Drink in Bars
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia takes in some cocktail history and all things crispy.
On Side Orders of Coronavirus and Never Working a Valentine’s Day Shift Again
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds award-winning local booze and firefighters saving giant bottles of wine.
On Accidentally Tipping Thousands and Bad People Making Counterfeit Wine
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia learns of wine fraudsters and the economics behind cheap buffets.
On Beautiful Fast Food Spots and the City of Vancouver Failing its Restaurants
In her latest read of the food and drink news, Talia finds comically heroic pop-up bars and feasts on Superbowl food ads.
On Restaurant Staffers Getting Healthy and Oscar-Winners Portraying Bad Boy Chefs
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia learns about spilled wine and Hong Kong restaurants at war.
On How to Close a Restaurant and Not Drink Beer Named After a Murderous Druglord
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds warm whisky cocktails and gets a lesson on whole hog BBQ.
On the Kind of Person Who Steals Menus and the Midlife Crisis of the Restaurant Review
In her latest read of the food and drink news, Talia gets curious about tater tots and finds a Michelin chef in full droop.
On Predicting 2020 Food Trends and the Weird World of New Year’s Eve Traditions
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds blue foods abounding and a battery of year-end lists.
On the Coming Holiday Drink Tsunami and the Trouble With Reindeer Orgies
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds sinking gingerbread cities and efforts to conserve genetic diversity.
A Map to Vancouver’s 12 Cocktails of December
Partial proceeds from each cocktail goes to charity, so this map leads to bars where you can drink for a good cause...
On Awkward Family Dinners and Iconic Restaurants That Disappear in the Night
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia learns of Michelin drama and new arrivals from Tokyo.
You Need to Try the Chef’s Catch Dinner at Coquille
The last dinner in the series featured an unforgettably delicious saffron and mussel risotto. The next feast focuses on Dungeness crab.
Vancouver’s Best Cocktail Spots, Winter Edition
We asked drinks expert Talia Kleinplatz to map out her favourite imbibing spots in Vancouver for the long dark that lies ahead.
On America’s Best New Restaurants and the Growing Need for More Noodles
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds poisoned blueberry fields and fast food phasing out plastic toys.
On the Joys of ‘Immigrant Food’ and Teasing David Chang’s Upcoming Memoir
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia learns of shipwrecked booze and why sandwiches should always be buttered.
On Forbidding All New Restaurants and Making a Big Mistake Behind the Bar
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds a record-breaking crab and McDonalds messing with your mind.
On the Art of the Spicy Interview and Open Season on Eating Roadkill
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia gets tempted by Salt Spring Island and awaits the new Bourdain documentary.
On Canada’s Best New Restaurants and the World’s Most Expensive Whisky
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds booze on the ferry and people wearing moldy fruit gemstones.
On Scotch Having a Tough Go and the West Coast Coming of David Chang
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds restaurants firing servers and the rediscovery of American brandy.
On All-Hamburger Diets and the Coming End of a West Coast Restaurant Institution
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia anticipates more Ugly Delicious and the taste of space beef...
On Labour-Inducing Burgers and Cancelling the Tofino Food & Wine Festival
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia learns of a new donut shop and a death in the restaurant family.
On New Tipping Models and Avocado Toast Being Eaten by the Shark It Jumped
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds Charles Dickens' liquor log and gets a chef's picks for Tofino.
On the Upcoming Anthony Bourdain Auction and the Sudden Death of Celebrity Chef Carl Ruiz
In her latest read of the food and drink news, Talia finds Cory Booker eating hot dogs and a restaurant that thinks its a library.
On Cemeteries With Liquor Licences and Keeping Up With a Ketchup Guardian
In her latest read of the food and drink news, Talia finds influential bars and the museum world's taste for ancient food.
On Animating Sushi Construction and Bringing a Gun to a Chicken Fight
In her latest read of the food and drink headlines, Talia finds Germans cracking beer codes and depictions of a bygone Golden Age.
