Still rather cobwebby this morning. It was a bit of a wild one last night…

Cedar Creek @ Bishop’s

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Our Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival coverage begins with chef Andrea Carlson serving an absolutely superb dinner at Bishop’s. The meal opened with a little bison tartar and closed a la Farmhouse cheese, with four courses of proteins (prawn, salmon, venison, and more bison) paired with Cedar Creek Platinum series wines in between. Super tight stuff, really just flawless, and with the bonus of Bishop’s timeless elegance in ambiance and light-footed service (I really don’t remember when I’ve been better served). I had the honour of sitting with Senator Ross Fitzpatrick and his son, president of Cedar Creek Gordon Fitzpatrick (also my friends Rhonda May and Bruce Stephen). I’ll let the pictures do the talking…but be sure to also watch the 15 second clip on John Bishop playing the spoons below (class act):

And then…

Joie Debauchery @ Boneta

Once the dinner came to a close, several of us whipped down to Gastown to catch the last hours of saturnalia at Boneta, where JoieFarms was hosting a party to celebrate their fifth vintage. It felt a lot like a big family gathering, with staff and ownership from many of Vancouver’s best and coolest restaurants in attendance, including some folks from as far afield as Tofino and Naramata (Bobby, honey, you be careful in the big city). It was really swell seeing polymath and Boneta co-owner Mark Brand working the wheels of steel, busting out everything from The Stones to Eric B. & Rakim (“I used to roll up, this is a hold up…”). He was really getting the floor moving like it was nobody’s business. I spoke to him this morning. “I’ve had to sit in the middle of the room to stop the spinning”, he said. “Everyone was like they were 17 again.” And they really were. I wish I’d taken a picture of Julie Pegg dancing. That lady was on fire. I’d had a few by time we arrived, so please excuse the super double plus extra bad photography. I’m pretty sure my camera was on the “Liquored” setting, which usually produces questionable results…

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Congratulations to Michael and Heidi at JoieFarms. You got good things goin’ on…

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Andrew Morrison is a west coast boy who studied history and classics at the Universities of Cape Town and Toronto after an adolescence spent riding skateboards and working in restaurants. He is the editor of Scout Magazine, the weekly food and restaurant columnist for the Westender newspaper, a contributor to Vancouver and Western Living magazines, and a proud board member of the Chef’s Table Society of BC. He lives and works by the beach in Vancouver.

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