Restaurants

The Best Time to Drink Beer in B.C.  “There has never been a better time to drink beer in British Columbia.” – Gary Lohin, brewmaster, at the Central City Brewing tap takeover at the Moon Under Water brewpub on May 9, 2013. I couldn’t agree more. The Canadian Brewing Awards were held in Victoria earlier this month. It was the first time the event has taken place west of Toronto in its 11-year history—perfect timing with the boom of new breweries we are enjoying here in British Columbia: seven new microbreweries opened in 2012, and a dozen or more are expected to open in the next year—six in metro Vancouver alone. Overall, B.C. breweries did very well at the Awards, winning 35/116 awards handed out. Central City Brewing won three golds and a silver; Parallel 49 Brewing won one gold and three silvers in its first year of competition; and Howe Sound Brewing won four medals as well—two golds, one silver and one bronze. But Vancouver’s Powell Street Craft Brewery stole the show by winning Beer of the Year for its Old Jalopy Pale Ale, which also won gold in the North American Style Pale Ale (Bitter) category. It was a stunning accomplishment for this tiny nanobrewery that just opened last December—making it B.C.’s youngest brewery. Here’s owner/brewer David Bowkett, still buzzing off his big win back on May 11. Powell Street Craft won’t be the new kid on the block for long—a string of new breweries is set to open over the next few months. I will profile each of these new operations in this column as they open. Four Winds Brewing Delta, BC Website | Facebook | Twitter Opening: June 2013 First out of the gates with beer flowing will be Four Winds Brewing, a family-run operation led by brewer Brent Mills, who previously learned his craft as part of the team at Vancouver’s R&B Brewing. Brent’s two brothers, Adam and Sean, are involved on the sales and marketing side, and their dad, Greg, is handling the administration. Four Winds will release four core beers to start with—a saison, IPA, American pale ale, and a Czech pilsner—all packaged in four-packs of 330-mL bottles that will be priced at $8.99. The idea is to appeal to consumers who usually just buy single 650-mL bomber bottles, spurning six-packs because of the lack of variety. I tasted the saison and IPA early in May when I visited the brewery, and both were excellent, and I have no doubt they will be well-received in the craft beer community. The brewery will also put out limited releases in bombers or 750-mL corked bottles, depending on the style. Mills plans on brewing a saison aged with Brettanomyces yeast right off the bat—talk about trying to hit it out of the park on the first pitch. He wants to put out a mix of old-world (unfiltered, bottle-conditioned) and newer craft beer styles from everywhere—hence the brewery’s name. Four Winds Brewing will be holding an open house on Saturday, June 1, and will be participating in some Vancouver Craft Beer Week events. Look for their products on the market later in June. Next month, I will profile North Vancouver’s Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers, which is opening right across the street from Bridge Brewing, which itself just opened last summer, and 33 Acres Brewing, the first of a trio of new breweries set to open in Vancouver’s historic Brewery Creek neighbourhood. Quench your thirst at www.thirstywriter.com. Follow along on twitter @thirstywriter and @craftbeerrevolu.

Chaac Mool's trailer hasn't been open in Dolores Park for weeks, and a La Cocina rep tells us that they're no longer serving there: "The trailer they were at selling their food is a rotating opportunity for La Cocina businesses and now we are transitioning it into another business." They wouldn't disclose why they left, but they're still operating at Fort Mason every weekend. La Cocina owns the trailer, and is evaluating new potential tenants from its program. They'll announce who's taking the spot in the next couple of weeks. [EaterWire]

Onetime Garden State cart owner Kevin Sandri has been named executive chef at the soon-to-reopen Alberta Street Pub, and in this Q&A with Portland Monthly, reveals that some old-school cart favorites will be making a comeback. Expect the re-emergence of Garden State's famous chickpea and meatball sandwiches, as well as "some good farm-focused locally sourced pub grub." [Eat Beat]

Ever since news hit last week of $70 lion skewers at yakitori restaurant Mokutanya in Burlingame, we've been considering a visit despite the high price tag -- I mean, when else are you going to...

The 511 Marigny building, soon to be Paladar 511's home. [Photo: Cheryl Gerber/Gambit] New York has Mission Chinese Food and Rosamunde, D.C. is getting a Tadich Grill, and now a taste of SF will be available all the way down in the Big Easy: Pizzetta 211 is expanding to New Orleans, according to former employee/Tablehopper correspondent Dana Massey-Todd. Owner Jack Murphy and his girlfriend Susan Dunn are teaming up with Dunn's brother Ed, a chef who's worked at the likes of Commander's Palace and Emeril's, to open the tentatively named Paladar 511 in a mixed-use development and former sock factory in the Bywater neighborhood. Like the original, Paladar will feature a small and seasonal menu of appetizers, pizzas, main dishes, and desserts, as well as the mothership's signature open kitchen. However, the NOLA location will have a lot more space, at more than 2,100 square feet, and will have a full bar, a charcuterie program, and an emphasis on whole-animal cookery. The project is scheduled to open by the end of the year, and while Murphy will be out of town often and is seeking a temporary chef to cover for him, the hope is for Pizzetta 211 to remain unchanged. One big change that will make diners happy has occurred, though: after years of maintaining a strict cash-only policy, the restaurant has begun accepting credit cards via Square. · SF Plus NoLa Equals Some Serious Pizza Love [Tablehopper]

AIRPORT DINING — A branch of Bobby Van's Steakhouse just opened in American Airlines Terminal 8 at JFK. It will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with takeout and sandwiches as well as a porterhouses, filet mignons, and a full bar. [EaterWire] EAST VILLAGE — Kasadela, which closed in the wake of Hurricane Sandy but was a vendor at this year's Great GoogaMooga fest, is hosting a pop-up tonight to try to sell off all the Tebasaki they have left over from Sunday's washout. They'll be at Vol De Nuit from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. tonight working their way through all those leftover chicken wings. [EaterWire] EXPANSIONS — Kuma Snow Cream, a shaved ice/ice cream mashup based in Los Angeles is looking to expand to Manhattan soon. The owner, Jet Tila, is already set to open a branch of the restaurant in Las Vegas this week, and says that NYC is high on his list of places to go next. [EaterLA] PARK SLOPE — Fort Reno BBQ will have live bluegrass music and $2 beers this Sunday, May 26. The bluegrass will last from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and the $2 pints will last all day. [EaterWire]

After facing the shutter last month, it appears that longtime delivery go-to Tai Chi has returned to life on Polk Street. The new owners have remodeled the space and added carpet and a large central family-style table, and while the menu features mostly the same lineup of dishes, dim sum is now also available. The owners apparently are also involved with New Country Sky in the Marina. [EaterWire]

Double-breaking super-hot lobster deal alert: In addition to the cheap-o lobster rolls the truck was selling today, the team at Red Hook Lobster Pound is selling Maine lobster salad at half price, so $25 a pound instead of $50. The deal's available from the truck, the Madison Square Eats stand, and the Red Hook brick-and-mortar. [EaterWire]

Welcome to this week's event-planning EaterWire: PEARL DISTRICT—Peruvian restaurant Andina teams up with self-described "luxury brand" Numanthia for a five-course wine dinner this Thursday, May 23. The meal features a menu designed around three of Numanthia's varieties from Toro, Spain, as well as a passed appetizer course paired with Ruinart Blanc. For wine nerds, Moët Hennessey director of education Seth Box and Andina's in-house sommelier Seth Collura will lead a discussion about high-end wine. Reservations are $80, not including gratuity, and are available by calling the restaurant at 503-228-9535. CENTRAL EASTSIDE INDUSTRIAL—The eastside's ENSO Winery celebrates its two-year anniversary this weekend with a "Fiesta Friday" on May 24. Owner/winemaker Ryan Sharp will pour the spot's current releases while the folks at Taco Pedaler dole out tacos; a celebration on Saturday will see the release of three new wines, including the Mourvèdre Reserve. More information here. NW/ALPHABET DISTRICT—Wildwood chef Dustin Clark experiments with Chinese-American food during a "Mix.Sip.Grub" cocktail party this Saturday, May 25. The casual event, from 4-6p.m., will feature a half-dozen passed appetizers (like Clark's takes on char siu steam buns, Mongolian beef tartare, and shrimp fried rice) paired with themed cocktails by bar manager Ryan Csanky. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door, all-inclusive. Advance tickets are available by emailing here. Image of Andina courtesy Avila/EPDX

• On Saturday, May 25, Hester Street Fair will feature a brand-new vendor, Ducks Eatery. There will also be a ping-pong tournament — with prizes! [Grub Street] • The Windsor is providing another reason to stay in town this Memorial Day. The West Village gastropub will be open on Monday, May 27, serving peach barbecue chicken wings and other specials. [Grub Street] • In honor of the Bluth Family’s triumphant return, Three Letters is serving up an Arrested Development tasting menu, appropriately titled the Final Countdown. On Sunday, May 26, there will be a $45 per person dinner with cornballs, Ika and Tina Tuna, and frozen bananas, of course. [Grub Street] • Brooklyn Label is hosting Bourbon & Belly, an event on May 23 that will showcase sliced pancetta, braised cured belly, and smoked flank bacon. Tickets are $30, and you'll get a flight of cocktails and beer, too. [Grub Street] • Starting May 31, DGBG is celebrating those employees blessed with Summer Fridays. From 1 to 6 p.m., guests can pick from a selection of seafood plateaus that each come with two pints of draft beer on the house. [Grub Street] • Over 50 restaurants are coming out for the eighth annual Taste of LIC. The Chocolate Factory will host food and drink by the likes of Alobar, Brooklyn Grange, and M. Wells Dinette. Grab your tickets here. [Grub Street] • On Thursday, May 23, Elastic City will host a benefit featuring the crowd-sourced creation of signature cocktails, to be mixed by Dave Nurmi (The JakeWalk) and Brad Farran (Death and Company). Tickets are $40 for the open bar. [Grub Street] • The EMM Group is teaming up with Common Ground to raise money for the homeless. A portion of proceeds from the cereal-encrusted doughnuts at the General will go toward the charity. [Grub Street] Filed Under: leftovers, arrested development, brooklyn label, dbgb, elastic city, emm group, hester street fair, taste of lic, the general, the windsor, three letters