Last week I went on a trip with W to Toronto and Montreal. We took an early flight and ended up in Toronto about 4-ish. We only had drinks and bits-and-bites during the 5 hour long flight so we were famished. We stayed at a friend's place around Yonge and Eglinton but she hadn't got off work yet so we decided to walk down Yonge St. to see what we could find to eat.

We saw there was quite a number of Italian and Asian restaurants and settled on Grazie Ristorante. At 5pm the restaurant was relatively empty but it had filled up by the time we left. I guess we just missed the after work crowd.





Grazie has a lot of yummy sounding pasta choices on their menu. They separate the pasta by the type of sauce. I had some difficulty making a decision!


Complimentary bread was brought to our table with butter. The bread wasn't warm. It wasn't anything special.

Cefalu $15 - Spaghetti with grilled chicken, fresh spinach & ricotta pesto (pine nuts)

W and I both went with a Extra Virgin Oil and Garlic based sauce for our pasta. W ordered the Cefalu shown above.

Avellino $14.25 - Fettucini with prosciutto, spinach & a porcini mushroom butter

And I ended up choosing the Avellino because of the mushroom and spinach. The waiter comes by asking if you want parmesan and pepper on your plate. I liked my dish and it tasted good. I wasn't too sure that mushroom butter meant it was only the butter or if they were going to add actual mushrooms in but was glad that it actually came with the mushrooms. I liked that the dish didn't feel too heavy, it was the right amount to satisfy me. But for the portion, it's just a tad pricey. The service was ok. The food came out quickly but they took a long time to come with our bill, I guess they were busy with other customers. All in all a nice, casual place to have some pasta.

A vegetarian coworker came to visit in the summer, and he was staying downtown so we took him out for dinner at Panz Veggie Restaurant. It's a Chinese restaurant that serves vegetarian as well as vegan dishes.




All the items on the menu are $10 or less.

Deep fried chopsticks w/fries & fried sweet potato $6.50

For an appetizer, we were curious what deep fried chopsticks were so we ordered that. These turned out to be some kind of meat substitute wrapped around small chopsticks! They look like drumsticks and  had a meat like consistency. They were very delicious!

Tropical style Fried Rice $10

We ordered three more dishes for mains. This rice was salty and we thought the raisins were a little weird to put into fried rice. When we didn't finish it all, the waitress, or maybe the cook, came and told us to finish it and proceeded to scoop the rest onto my plate. lol so maternal.

Sichuan mapo tofu $10

The tofu is a slightly spicy dish. This was already mild but I quite a wimp when it comes to spicy foods and I had to drink a lot of water to douse the flames in my mouth. I liked this one the best out of all the mains we tried. It was really delicious despite the spiciness!

Sweet & sour steak bites $10

The sweet and sour steak bites were more sweet than sour but I like it. My other coworker didn't though.

All the "meat" in the mains were made in the right consistency that it felt like you are eating real meat! The dishes were a hit and miss but I still would go back to this restaurant to try others.

La Pentola is the newest addition to Opus Hotel, replacing the pop-up concept Cento Notti, in Yaletown. Like their sister restaurant, La Quercia, this restaurant serves Northern Italian cuisine.

Very nice simple decor with large windows.

We were given complementary herbed bread box and olive oil for dipping. We went through several of these actually. They are so soft and tasty and went well with every other dish we ordered. Often we used this bread to soak up the remaining juices of our other plates. Mmmm.

Roast bone marrow, salsa verde, crostini $12

The one thing that caught my eye on the menu was the Roast Bone Marrow. I haven't eaten any marrow at a restaurant before and was curious how they would prepare it. It came with a crunchy bread crisps and salsa verde. I could have done without the salsa, the marrow was good as it was without it. Looks like they mixed the marrow with herbs before putting it back in the bone. It was very delicious, somewhat like pate and I wish I didn't have to share it!

Bruschetta $9

I was interested in the Smoked veal tongue as an appetizer, which also costs $9 but my dining partner wasn't feeling as adventurous so we opted for something safe - Bruschetta. Sweet cherry and heritage tomatoes adorned crunchy toasted bread. Yummy!

Trout involtini, zucchini trifolati $26

One of the dishes our waiter recommended was the Trout. He seemed very knowledgeable and passionate about the food so we trusted his judgement. The trout was stuffed with some herbs accompanied with some beans and zucchini. The fish was moist and delicious but the zucchini was a little salty. I had to eat it with some more of the bread from the bread box.

Mushroom trifolati $8

As a side, we had the Mushroom trifoliate, and me loving any sort of mushrooms, loved this dish. It was nicely flavoured and we polished off this dish in seconds, even the sauce was gone. Yum yum yum.

Semifreddo with almond praline, biscotti and chocolate sauce

I was pretty full from all the dishes we tried but the waiter listed out the desserts available and I knew I had to try the semifreddo. It was divine. It was almost like ice cream and tasted almost coffee like. So good! An excellent finish to the meal.

Then just as I thought there wasn't anything else, these little sugar biscuits came with the bill. Ending one a sweet note, whether you have dessert or not!

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at La Pentola. The food was delicious and served with great attention to presentation. The service was also impeccable!

The trouble with going away for vacation is that you miss all the fun local stuff happening at home! The last Farmers Market Kitchen of the year is being held at Trout lake this Saturday featuring Chef Quang Dang. Then this year's That Barista Thing, Latte Art Competition is happening downtown at Central Library. There's also a lot of paid but interesting workshops and a Street Food Carnival happening this weekend as part of the 4th annual Sustenance Festival. Check out photos from the opening gala here. All in all a fun filled weekend in Vancouver! I'll be in Toronto if anyone needs me. See you next week!

Friday, October 19, 2012

35th Annual Greek Food Festival 
Fri 5:00pm - 11:00pm 
Sat 12:00pm - 11:00pm 
Sun 12:00pm - 11:00pm
4500 Arbutus Street  (Corner of Arbutus and Valley Drive)
Started in 1977, the Hellenic Community's Annual Greek Food Festival has become a popular event in the City of Vancouver. For 3 days, the Hellenic Community Centre is transformed into a large "glendi" or party with great food, music and entertainment.

Weed Eating - $10
7:00pm - 8:00pm 
Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver
A workshop, part of the Sustenance Festival. Join local forager/chef Alexander McNaughton (Umami Consulting/Late Nite Art) for a fascinating and tasty workshop on foraging, growing and harvesting what most people think of as "weeds" that are tasty, nutritious, and edible.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Cineplex Community Day 2012
Doors open at 8:30am, Movies begin at 9:00am.
Various theatres 
Join us on the morning of Saturday October 20 at all Cineplex Entertainment theatres for Community Day in support of Starlight Children's Foundation. Doors open at 8:30 am with a great selection of FREE movies beginning at 9:00am. Plus, enjoy a regular popcorn, regular fountain drink and selected candy for only 2 DOLLARS each with 100% of the proceeds donated to Starlight Children's Foundation!


Harvest Festival - West End
9:00am - 2:00pm
West End Farmers Market, 1100 Block of Comox Street across from Nelson Park at Mole Hill
Harvest Festival - October 20 - West End - everything squash and apples and pears! Recipes, information, cooking tips and demonstrations. Enter your pie in our pie competition. Last day of the West End Farmers Market!

Fondue Revisited & Revamped - $25
11:00am - 12:00pm 
Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver
A workshop, part of the Sustenance Festival. Join Chef Ned Bell (Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver) to learn the secrets of fondue in today's gourmet foodie scene. Watch, learn and taste 3 different fondues, and leave with recipes.

Savour Saturdays
11 am & 2 pm: Market Taste Tours  With: Julia Child Impersonator   
12-3 pm: Kids Activities - Paper Chef Hat Decorating  
12-3 pm: Face painting ($)
Lonsdale Quay Market, North Vancouver 
Market Taste Tours with Julia Child Impersonator. REGISTER AT: events@lonsdalequay.com for activities, as space is limited. Participation is FREE and cash donations will be accepted on behalf of the Harvest Project. 


That Barista Thing 2012
11:00am - 4:00pm
Vancouver Library Square, Robson & Homer St, Vancouver
Free Lattes, Coffees, Hot Chocolate for Kids. Featuring Latte Art Competition with celebrity judge, Lori from Cupcakes. Tea Tasting and Matcha Demonstration, Live Performance by Harbour Dance Centre, public canvas painting, caricature drawings, button making station. See photos from last year's event here.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver

A couple of weeks ago, I learned how to grow mushrooms four different ways! I had signed up for a mushroom cultivation workshop, which took place in the parking lot in the back of the Homesteader's Emporium on October 6th. I was very excited to learn about growing my own mushrooms!










Our instructor, Vancouver's own Mushroom Man, Scott Henderson.


All the equipment we used.


One of the projects was to inoculate logs with Shiitake mushroom mycelium. A nice workshop attendee brought enough logs for all of us to use from her Bowen Island farm! Most came from Alder trees but she also had a few Maple logs as well. Shiitake mushrooms like to grow on hard wood.


First we drilled some holes in the log, popped in wooden dowels that were inoculated with Shiitake mycelium then painted over the hole with hot wax.

Hopefully they grow! But it'll take 12 months or more before I'll be able to see anything! In the meantime, I'll have to keep the logs in a shaded area and keep it moist. I made 3 Shiitake logs, two Alder and one Maple. Crossing my fingers that at least one of them will provide me with some mushrooms! If they are successful, they will provide me with Shiitake mushrooms for 3-5 years!


Our second project involved growing Oyster mushrooms in bags of straw. In the beginning of the class, we stuffed pillow cases full of straw, threw them in a barrel of hot water and let them sit there for an hour. This was to sterilize the straw.


After letting the pillowcases full of straw cool for a half hour, we transferred the straw into a clear plastic bag, layering straw and Oyster mushroom spawn in a lasagne-like fashion. We used one jar of Oyster mushroom spawn growing in wheat millets each. Two lucky attendees also got a pink strain of Oysters!

We tied off the bag of straw and Oyster spawn, poked lots of holes in the sides (for air and the mushrooms to grow out of) and bagged it in another bag, to keep in moisture. I'm most excited about this. I can't wait to have fresh Oyster mushrooms for dinner!

Next was growing mushrooms in wood chips. The type of mushroom we are going to grow is King Stropharia, which likes to grow outdoors, under shade, they also like to grow in hard wood chips but a mix is fine. I've never actually eaten one of these mushrooms so I'm pretty excited to be able to cultivate these in my own backyard!

We each brought a big container (20 gal) to bring our wood chip spawn home. We would keep these indoors, adding fresh wood chips once in a while just so they can get started growing before transferring them to a wood chip bed outside in the spring.

Lastly, our experimental project is growing Oysters in coffee grounds. Scott went to visit a Starbucks and asked for their used coffee grounds and they gave him a big bagful. He said it is best to use it right away when it is hot to prevent contamination. But he doesn't guarantee anything!

Here's my Oysters growing in a shoebox in coffee grounds. I think I will have to transfer it in a taller container or bag since Oysters like to grow upright from the sides.

Now that more than a week has past, I can see the Oysters are the fastest growing. They already colonized the whole straw bag and the surface of the coffee grounds! I'm going to have to move them outside where it is colder to slow down their growth! Hopefully I will get some mushrooms by the end of the month! =D

If you want to learn about growing mushrooms or getting your own cultures, you can contact Scott on his website http://www.shroomstore.ca. He probably will hold some more workshops in the future! The Homesteader's Emporium also holds other interesting workshops at their store. Check out their website at http://homesteadersemporium.ca!

Zombie Syndrome is an interactive, roving play, put on by a company called the Virtual Stage, in which the audience are the main characters. A deadly outbreak that has now made its way onto the streets of Vancouver turning ordinary citizens into flesh eating monsters and the Canadian Government is asking for your help! There's no killing of zombies, your mission is to try figure out sets of clues that will lead you to the cure. I accepted this mission last Saturday as I joined seven other "scientists", armed only with our cellphones and our wits, in a city wide scavenger hunt to find the cure. It starts with a phone call the day before giving you the coordinates of the secret rendezvous point. Don't be late! This is an urgent mission and stragglers will be left behind!

Zombies periodically popped up as we traveled. Even though it was daytime, the group got a lot more jumpy as paranoia set in. Anyone in the city could be a zombie and you never know when one will come out and eat your brains out! I bet it would be a lot more scarier when it is dark. The characters we met along the way were unique, entertaining and funny and most of the time our group just couldn't stop smiling. It was super fun and a great way to spend 2 hours. More zombies would have been nice though!

The Zombie Syndrome runs with five shows a day until October 31st. Tickets are available online only and they are almost sold out! Visit www.thevirtualstage.org to purchase your tickets!

The 4th Annual Sustenance Festival is currently on at Yaletown Roundhouse. It is a community oriented festival, showcasing a gallery of food related art, culture and community groups. I went to the opening event on Thursday, October 11th to check it out.

Food related artwork can be found on display around the Roundhouse. This GrassRoots sculpture by Pierre Leichner is particularly noticeable. Later in the evening, he spoke to the attendees about how Western society has lost a lot of art and ecology to business and he tries to capture that in his art to close that gap. Search Dr. Legumes on Youtube.

As well as artwork by Tannis Hopkins. The pie piece is very creative!

The majority of the displays are located in the Exhibition Hall at the Roundhouse Community Centre. For opening night, several community members, including Park Board member Niki Sharma, and the artists responsible for the displays spoke briefly about their involvement in the Sustenance Festival.

Tiare Jung, community organizer, student and artist, spoke about her oil painting of the Winter Farmers Market.

The artist thinks art should look as good as food. "It is so much a people system as much as it is a food system? Prints are available for sale and 15% of the proceeds will be donated to the Campus Food Systems Project at Capilano University. Order forms are available at the Roundhouse by the painting.

This wall of facts was put up by the Park Board. They are hosting an event: "CHECK OUT OUR ASSETS: How could your Parks and Community Centre make your neighbourhood a better place for local food?​" on Thursday Oct. 18th at 6:30pm. Tickets are free and are still available!


Gavin and Joanna introduced the Vancouver Urban Farming Society. A relatively new organization that supports urban farming in Vancouver. Their biggest project right now is: Best Practices to bring to the city and other urban farmers and how we can become a model to other cities.

There are at least 20 urban farmers in Vancouver alone!


The community group, Village Vancouver made this display that spans three walls. They are also hosting a zero waste, city-wide neighbourhood potluck: NEIGHBOUR SAVOUR 3 on Tuesday Oct 23rd from 6pm - 9pm at Heritage Hall, Main St. Free to join!



 The youngest artist of them all made this "Earth Pizza". Very cute! =)

The West Side Food Security Collaborative talked about the the Neighbourhood Food Networks mural they made.



Hannah Louise on behalf of the Indigenous Initiatives at UBC Farms. Their display features photos and a video.

The last event of the evening was presented by Nicole Dextras the artist responsible for the “Little Green Dress” installation at the Earth Art Exhibit in the VanDusen Botanical Garden in the summer. She unveiled her "Nomadik Harvest Dress". The dress is made up of soft wool sweaters dyed green and stitched together. The vest is made with moss found from Nicole's own garden.

The dress contains a lot of pockets which held a variety of vegetables with tags that described each of them. The wearer can live off of this dress! It contains everything she needs to cook and eat.






Nicole Dextras.


After wriggling out of the dress, the model, Neta cooked a soup, asking the attendees to help pick the ingredients from the foods found on the dress.




Yummy! Leeks, potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots and more. It needed a little salt but it was a pretty hearty soup!


Besides the soup, attendees were treated to some Mexican snacks from Encanto Culinary Services.




A platter of "Mexican Grudiles"

and Momochilli popcorn.

The Sustenance Festival is on until October 21st, 2012 and there are all sorts of interesting workshops such as Weed Eating, Fondue Making and Cheese Making and other events coming up this week. Most of them still have tickets available! Check out the website's event page for more details.