Its not a new restaurant, but Lupo in Yaletown is still hot, and deservedly so. The casual vinoteca in the renovated heritage house on Hamilton Street is home to a masterful professional duo (and co-owners) chef Julio Gonzalez-Perini and sommelier Michael Mameli. They were, in fact, the winning pair (though not the owners) behind the late and more-upscale Villa de Lupo that lived for well over a decade in the same space. When the chance came up to take over the vacant building, the pair grasped the wolf by the ears and Lupo was (re)born. Its been four years, and the menu is better than ever. Octopus carpaccio, paper-thin and lively, was graced with pimentos and tingly limoncello vinaigrette. Lamb shank osso buco melted off the bone at the touch of the fork, and risotto nero, topped with copious amounts of lobster and kissed with tomato broth and lemon, was sinfully heady. We cut the richness with a surprisingly apt glass of Sauternes from the outstanding wine list, but my suggestion is to avoid the list altogether and just leave yourself in the hands of Mameli, who is a certified genius at pairings that fit both your palate and the food.
The BC Home + Garden Show is running February 19-23 at BC Place. The Urban Fare Cooking Stage has a huge line-up of guest chefs featuring everything form barbecue and beer pairings to comfort food and cocktails, and dont miss the Chopping Block home chef competition, hosted by chef Ned Bell of Four Seasons Yew Seafood Restaurant.
Tickets are still available for the International Festival Tasting Room at the Vancouver International Wine Festival next week, as well as select events. With France as the theme region and a global focus on bubbly, this is one wine fest not to miss.
Hollywood director James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar) has bought Beaufort Vineyard and Estate Winery near Courtenay on Vancouver Island. The sale should bring increased attention to Island wineries. No changes in management expected for now.
Graze Restaurant is hosting a community forum on current threats to the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) on March 2 at 6pm. The forum is also a fundraiser for FarmWatch, a grassroots community-based group working to protect BCs farmland.
On March 12, Wildebeest will partner with Waldorf Wine Group to present Meditations on a Tamworth Pig wine dinner. WEs own Kurtis Kolt will host the evening, which will focus on a tour of Old World, terroir-driven wines paired with the six-course menu. Tickets $99 each, including tax and gratuity. Email [email protected] for reservations.
Yew Restaurant Executive Chef Ned Bell and lead bartender Justin Taylor are hosting a collaborative dinner on March 6. Caviar & Cocktails will see Bell and Taylor joined by West Restaurants executive chef Quang Dang and mixologist David Wolowidnyk, and Bittered Sling proprietors Jonathan Chovancek and Lauren Mote for a six-course dinner that will see each chef matched up with a different bartender for the first three courses before being reunited with their colleagues for the last three courses. Tickets through Eventbrite under Caviar & Cocktails.
Catch up with Anya next week at the Vancouver International Wine Festival. Hear her every Monday on CBC Radio Ones On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday.
