7 Food and Drink Events Around Vancouver That You’ve Gotta Try This July

We made it through Juneuary. Set your clocks for around ten weeks of living in the best place in the world with glorious weather and the summer’s bounty of deliciousness on all sides. Cedar-plank some salmon, get your grill on at Brewery and the Beast, devour all the wonderful fruits as they roll through the markets. Drink local and raise a glass to all that is good. As ever—grab some napkins, cause you know summer is gonna get messy.

Head to Vancouver Art Gallery’s Rooftop Patio on Sundays

Post-brunch, take yourself to the gorgeous little rooftop patio at the Vancouver Art Gallery’s 1931 Gallery Bistro for cut-price B.C. bubbles as they do 30 percent off on all bottles of wine on Sundays. They have a cool list over there—my B.C. picks: the Culmina’s Unicus Grüner Veltliner, the Black Sage Cabernet Franc or dive into the beautiful Steller’s Jay Rosé sparkling. It was shockingly empty when I visited the other week, and on sunny days this place should be jumping. You know what to do.

The Bear Pop-Up at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA)

I marathoned Season 4 of The Bear last week—what a triumph after the blah of Season 3. Great performances, bags of resolution, glorious cinematography and so much to cry and laugh over. Yes chef, I’m completely back in love. Of course, our local culinary excellence school, PICAchef is also obsessed, so join in for their third ‘Bear dinner’ on July 24 at the school’s Blue Hat Bistro. The five-course menu is inspired by the characters, dishes and storytelling of The Bear with a surprise main course (please let it be Syd’s scallop!). “From pillowy focaccia with creamy whipped ricotta and Calabrian chili honey to silky preserved lemon agnolotti and a rich chocolate-hazelnut dessert, this menu celebrates precision, passion, and pure flavour,” the website reads. Tickets available here.

Don’t Miss Ice Cream Fest

The fine folks at Noms Magazine have launched another edition of their Ice Cream Festival and it’s on now until August 4. I just spent a very happy half-hour positively drooling over the innovative entries with everything from faux-sushi sets made from semifreddo (La Saison de Patisserie) to stunning ube shaved ice creations (FuFu Café) and Salted Egg yolk sundaes (Soft Peaks). Get the squad together to complete some of the social media challenges to be in with a chance of winning vouchers, gift cards and all the likes.

Chambar’s Medieval Festival

Not gonna lie, I absolutely cheered with glee when I read about this fun time from Chambar. This year the restaurant plans to celebrate National Belgian Day with a Medieval feast. I’ll let them explain: “Honouring Belgium’s rich heritage, join Chambar for a medieval-inspired banquet with multi-course family style platters and a complimentary Belgian welcome beer from McClelland Premium Imports. Communal tables foster connection … Spit roast pig and more.” Tickets are $120 and I suspect will sell out soon, call them to bag yours.

Eat All the Stone Fruits

It absolutely broke my heart for the farmers and fruit stands last year to see imported peaches instead of our glorious locally grown varieties. Imagine my giddy glee to score the very first apricots of the season this week at the West End Farmers Market. Super juicy, so aromatic—and peaches will be next. Yay! Maybe this is the year you finally try a little canning? Make a sweet compote to enjoy a taste of summer in the heart of winter, or a spicy salsa. Either way, keep buying B.C. first, then Canadian, then allies.

Drink All the New “Crafted in B.C.” Wines

The past couple of winters have been brutally hard on the vineyards in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys, resulting in near-total wipeouts for many this last harvest. The solution for many wineries: source grapes from other regions and hope that we all cluster round to support ‘em. Guess what? It’s time for us to be supportive.

The good news is that everything that I have tasted so far is reassuringly delicious. Hats off to my new two favourite rosés which are so very different in style: Township 7’s Interlude Rosé made with Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley (bags of fresh strawberries and perfect with grilled salmon) and Anthony Buchanan’s Pacific Northwest series rosé made with Syrah and Mourvèdre from Washington (bubblegum and sagebrush, yum!). Look out for these ‘crisis’ wines, buy direct from the winery whenever you can (order a mixed case with friends) and raise a glass to B.C. wines.

Editor’s Pick: A Rooftop Garden Dinner At the Fairmont Waterfront

 

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If one rooftop dining experience isn’t enough, here’s another. The Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver is bringing back its Garden Dinner Series for the summer, with dinners on July 24 and August 21. Watch the sunset over the city and indulge in a delicious multi-course meal featuring locally sourced ingredients—including those from the Fairmont’s garden and honey from its apiaries. Prepared by the team at Arc Dining, the next two dinners feature Burrowing Owl Estate Winery and Quail’s Gate Estate Winery, respectively, as wine partners. Though each menu will be slightly different, I hope you get to try the mouthwatering poached halibut and roasted potatoes—this dish made me, a seafood avoider, question whether I actually do like fish. It was that good. Reserve a spot here for the next dinner. – Sandrine Jacquot, Editor, BCLiving