Blue Water Cafe: Unsung Heroes

OceanWise, the program for sustainable seafood, will mark its seventh anniversary this April. Not coincidentally, Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar, one of the founding members of OceanWise, is wrapping up its seventh annual "Unsung Heroes" event. The Unsung Heroes menu takes sustainability one step further by focusing on lesser known or less popular sustainable seafood and making them taste great.

DOW: Hemingway Daiquiri

One of the most influential writers of the twentieth century, Ernest Hemingway had a reputation for enjoying his alcohol. One drink inspired by "Papa" is the Hemingway Daiquiri. The history of this drink is confusing, and there many variants. We picked one that looked promising.

Belgian Fries

I find it mildly amusing when I stumble across a restaurant, venture in because it looks interesting, and only later find out that it's one of the more popular restaurants in the city.

Such was the case on Sunday, when I headed to The Drive to get some treats from Fratelli Bakery. Of course, I never bothered to check the hours, and arrived too late. Feeling a mite peckish, I ducked into Belgian Fries for some sustenance.

Max's Deli and Bakery

this is going to be a good day

We've been going to Max's Delicatessen and Bakery for years now, and it's about time we wrote about it. Max's is seriously old school—classic desserts, done right. The prices are fair and the sizes decent. Now, they're rarely going knock your socks off, but if you want wide selection of good-tasting baked goods, search no further.

Nicli Antica Pizzeria

It's not hard to find good pizza in Vancouver, but if you want true Neapolitan pizza, until now you were pretty much out of luck. Thankfully, Nicli Antica Pizzeria opened a week and a half ago. With a wood-fired Acunto oven straight from Naples, authentic ingredients on hand, and certification by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association in the works, Vancouver's culinary scene will never be the same again.

Hitoe Sushi

We are very lucky to have a tremendous choice of Japanese restaurants in Vancouver. There are high quality, high price ones like Miku, En, or the famous Tojo’s. There are all-you-can-eat sushi factories that focus on quantity over quality. And izakayas still seem to be popping up everywhere. Of the many other categories, however, one of our favourites is the Japanese-run, food first neighbourhood sushi joint. Among those, Hitoe Sushi, located across from McBride Park in Kitsilano, is a shining example.

Faubourg Bistro

A return visit to Faubourg, this time for lunch. Tucked away in the back of the bustling coffee and bakery area is a serene bistro, where you can imagine yourself having stepped off rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris.

DOW: Vesper

Well, I could tell you about the history of this cocktail, how Ian Fleming's James Bond ordered it in the novel Casino Royale, and how it's named after the character Vesper Lynd, but you could just read about it on Wikipedia. Instead, I'll tell you we were inspired to make this drink after we ordered and enjoyed it a couple of weeks ago at Pied-à-Terre.

Beans

Beans is the quintessential neighbourhood coffee house. It would be enough that their java drinks, made with highly regarded 49th Parallel Roasters coffee beans, are excellent, as is their selection of loose-leaf teas, but they have much more to offer.

DOW: Stinger

Ever since I saw my first production of Company, by George Furth and the legendary Stephen Sondheim, and heard the showstopping song "The Ladies Who Lunch," sung by the fabulous Elaine Stritch, I have been intrigued by the Stinger cocktail.