tapastree

Those of you that know me know that there are a few restaurants around the city where I will drop everything to go ... tapastree is one of those. So on Friday night when the Boy suggested we go, my answer was a resounding YES! We rounded up our mates and made our way through a torrential downpour to enjoy an evening of really good food and really good wine.

tapastree, in Vancouver's west end, serves up fantastic small plates for sharing with a fabulous wine list to match. They also have a good tap if beer's your thing, and full bar for those nights when a martini is called for. With our tapas, we had two wonderful food-friendly wines, a Pinot Noir from Oregon (Lemelson) and a yummy white blend from BC's Okanagan Valley (Joie Noble Blend). For dinner, we shared the marinated olives, tuna with ponzu sauce, sauteed prawns, lamb chops, root veggies, scalloped potatoes and chicken nuggets (pretty much everything they had on a somewhat limited menu). And you can't leave without having dessert so we shared creme brulee, sticky toffee and apple pie. All excellent. Check out the menu 'cuz the aforementioned list of tapas does not do it justice. Better yet, check out the restaurant ;-)

The service was casual but good and the restaurant was hopping -- surprising on a miserable Vancouver night. So if you do plan to go, I highly recommend that you make reservations (you'll find them on Open Table).

Another great meal at tapastree, hmmm, I wonder what this week has in store ...

When you least expect it ...

Culinary experiences can happen anywhere. I had the pleasure of savouring a Salvadoran traditional food called pupasas while volunteering at the Canucks Family Education Centre last Tuesday (click here to learn more about this terrific charity).


We were working with a class of wonderful Spanish-speaking ladies who were learning English. They were so cute! They worked so hard on improving their conversational skills and then how to write it all down. You have to really admire them -- I didn't realize until that day how hard it must be to leave your homeland, and all things familiar and comfortable, just to immerse yourself in a different country with a different language and different customs. This was their last class, so a couple of the ladies made a treat for everyone.

Pupusas are a masa (corn tortilla flour) flat cake filled with a mixture of cheese, beans and pork -- kinda like quesadilla. It's served with Salvadoran coleslaw and a dab of tomato sauce spooned on top. It seems pretty easy to make, and I should be able to find the ingredients, but I have a feeling it won't taste the same unless it's made by a cute Spanish speaking lady from El Salvador. How do you say tasty in Spanish? Sabroso!

Miss Kitty's Apple Butter

On Sunday, after a wonderful walk on the seawall with Eva, I headed over to Miss Kitty's place for our annual canning day. Every year we girls get together and preserve something -- in year's past we have made jalapeno jelly but this year we tried something different ... Apple Butter ... yum! This recipe comes from my culinary bible http://www.epicurious.com/, I use it all the time. The Apple Butter is super easy to make but a little tedious, nothing like peeling, coring and dicing 20lbs of apples, worth it though. We made the spiced version 'cuz apples and cinnamon just belong together.

To serve, pour it over ice cream or use it as a side with a cheese plate, or pork chops. Or like the name suggests, on toast with a piece of cheese (cheddar would be fabulous). I've also seen something I'd like to try and that's slice a round of Brie in half (top and bottom). Slather your filling on the bottom part (apple butter, chutney, jam, whatever), replace the top, wrap in pastry and bake. I'll try this at home and will share the recipe when I get it right.

Last night was my wine class featuring Syrah/Shiraz and Grenache. I had some exceptional wines, I think this was the first class that I enjoyed them all, I will share the names with you when I get the list. 'Til then, keep savouring ...

Friday Night - Celebrating the Weekend

After a visit to Cardero's (and a bottle of Beringer Chardonnay), we tried a new restaurant last night, a little pricey but very good. Check out Voya Restaurant http://www.voyarestaurant.com/ in the Loden Hotel on Melville in downtown Vancouver. The room is gorgeous, high ceilings, tasteful art, marble bar, crystal chandeliers -- beautiful.

While waiting for our table I tried a glass of the Poplar Grove Pinot Gris, very good and not a winery I have tried before. They are located on the Naramata Bench so I'll make a point of dropping by in next summer's Okanagan wine tour.

Once seated, the boys and I enjoyed some of the shared dishes for the table, impressive presentation, wonderful taste and washed down with a bottle of Joie Chardonnay. Yum!

Overall I give Voya a big thumbs up. The room is gorgeous, the food is tasty, the wine list is well thought out (good local options), and the service was excellent (shout out to Greg). Highly recommended if you don't mind parting with a significant amount of moolah.

Once I clear the cobwebs of all that good wine, the Boy and I have a busy weekend -- in between voting in the civic election, watching the Stamps and Lions (go team!) and the Canucks and Maple Leafs (go Canucks!). And that's just Saturday. Sunday will be another day of culinary delights, coming soon to a blog near you.

My first post

Hey everyone, welcome to my new blog! I wanted to start a place to share favourite new restaurants, wines, recipes, artists, music -- all those things that make life a little more beautiful, and thoroughly enjoyable. Please visit often!