by Talia Kleinplatz | Anthony Bourdain releases his list of underrated destinations. Think less crowded restaurants and tourists, more quiet lunches and aimless wandering (the fun kind).

The most famous of intergalactic cocktails and the Hitchhiker’s Guide lovers that are trying to recreate it.

Perhaps my favourite cocktail to drink in the fall, the Manhattan lends itself to some stunning variations. Now can someone bring me a bottle of madeira, stat!

The Washington Post breaks downs the great bacon bummer.

Punch releases its list of most anticipated drink books of this fall. Somebody add the new Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual to my Christmas wish list!

An impressive list of Vancouver’s best bar snacks. For me it’s a toss up between the KFC and smoked olives. Care to weigh in?

Looks like Vancouver isn’t the only city with a chef shortfall. The New York Times sheds light on a shift in the restaurant world as the chef shortage reaches crisis levels.

Vancouver’s best cocktail competition of the year comes to a close on Monday as 16 bartenders from across BC compete for the $5000 prize and the title of Barate Kid Champion.

In case you missed it, enRoute magazine has named its 10 best new restaurants of 2015. Vancouver’s own AnnaLena makes the cut as one of two BC spots to break into the top 10. Looks like a trip to Galiano Island is in order.

As if we needed another reason to love fried chicken and ribs. I am certain gluttony will be the name of the game when Chinatown’s Juke opens its doors in April 2016.

Canada’s largest combined beer and whiskey festival has its 20th anniversary this November. Celebrate two decades of Hopscotch with a bourbon and a beer.

Alexandra Gill reviews Giardino, a Vancouver institution, 2.0, describing it as a  “suave, silver fox.”

A closer look at pay discrepancies and race in the restaurant industry. An issue not everyone wants to acknowledge but an important and necessary conversation to have none the less.

Rather than spending your night stirring and shaking, consider an instant Old Fashioned for your next get together. Prepare ahead and throw down an impressive cocktail for your friends and family.

One of Vancouver’s most talented food photographers shares her favourite local haunts including brunch spots, coffee shops and hidden gems.

As the Food and Agriculture Organization celebrates its 70th anniversary, Vancouver signs on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, committing our city to the development of sustainable, inclusive and affordable food systems.

Remember to save your pumpkin seeds while carving this week. Here’s a delicious selection of pumpkin-based recipes to put those suckers to good use!

With the launch of the new foodandwine.com, the magazine shares 25 ways to have the best food year of your life. Did you say plan 12 months of cake?

Eating via instagram honours this week goes to local food stylist, Grabriel Coco and the kind of recipe testing I always want to be a part of!

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 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.