Vancouver Restaurants

Araxi Long Table Series – Summer 2013; Edible Canada: Introducing Canadian Comforts to Vancouver Craft Beer Week; Local tech startup iTendr has been chosen over Open Table by the downtown Vancouver BIA ARAXI LONGTABLE SERIES Summer 2013 As summer approaches, we near another exciting season featuring Araxi’s famed Longtable Series. This year, we are pleased to announce a new location as part of the series – in addition to Lost Lake in Whistler and North Arm Farm in Pemberton, Araxi’s Longtable dinner is also coming to Stanley Park in Vancouver! The striking long table has a capacity of 300 people, and guests will have an opportunity to experience Araxi right in the heart of the city. Award-winning Executive Chef James Walt will craft an exclusive four-course menu, showcasing his internationally recognized farm-to-table creations. Chef James celebrates locally sourced ingredients, and has built close relationships with the regional farming and ranching communities. As part of this year’s Longtable Series, an exclusive Farmers’ Market will be on site at the Vancouver and Whistler events, allowing guests to meet the producers and taste Chef James’ favourite ingredients in their raw form. Participating suppliers will include, amongst others, Root Down Organics and Pemberton Meadows Natural Beef. Guests attending the event at North Arm Farm can look forward to a guided farm tour with proprietor Jordan Sturdy. Chef James says, “We are very excited about expanding our Longtable series into Vancouver, and offering three very special settings to choose from this summer. We look forward to introducing our guests to our valued producers and showcasing the vibrant flavours of BC’s harvest.” Samantha Rahn, Araxi’s Wine Director and 2013 Sommelier of the Year, has invited some of the region’s top winemakers to partner for each dinner, giving guests an opportunity to meet and mingle with the industry’s finest talents. Each event will begin with a cocktail reception, followed by a magical family-style dinner thoughtfully paired with select BC wines. A percentage of ticket sales will go to The Chef’s Table Society of BC, supporting regional chefs, producers and the local food industry. DATES: Saturday, July 27th – Prospect Point in Stanley Park, Vancouver 3pm cocktail reception. Wines by Mission Hill + spirits by Pemberton Distillery. Saturday, August 3rd – Lost Lake, Whistler 3pm cocktail reception. Wines by Quails’ Gate + spirits by Pemberton Distillery. Saturday, August 17th – North Arm Farm, Pemberton 3pm cocktail reception. Wines by Le Vieux Pin + LaStella + spirits by Pemberton Distillery. FOR TICKETS: Neil Henderson, Restaurant Director, 604 932 4540 or longtable@araxi.com $175.00 per person, per event (includes reception, wine, four-course menu, tax and gratuity) —————————————————————————————————————————— EDIBLE CANADA: INTRODUCING CANADIAN COMFORTS TO VANCOUVER CRAFT BEER WEEK May 24 2013. Vancouver, BC. In celebration of Vancouver’s fourth annual, and fast approaching, Craft Beer Week, Edible Canada will be joining the party by hosting one of the festival’s Feature Events. On Sunday June 2, from 7pm-11pm, we will be showcasing a collection of Vancouver Island’s finest breweries during our ‘Canadian Comforts‘ shindig. Our best-of-craft (no pun intended) brew master line-up will include Phillips, Spinnakers, Hoyne, Driftwood and Vancouver Island Brewing for a night of uniquely crafted pints paired with high comfort foods, non-stop entertainment, beer education and more. Tickets will include the beer, entertainment and an array of fare fitting to pair with the diverse tastes and flavours of these craft beers. The event menu is as follows (please note that slight

Celestine (12 year old aspiring singer) and Maureen Webb (founder of Project Limelight and co-owner of East of Main Cafe) FOLLOW ME FOODIE: Restaurants with heart By Mijune Pak , Follow Me Foodie – WE Vancouver Published: May 23, 2013 5:00 PM Updated: May 23, 2013 5:31 PM Hungry to help the Downtown Eastside? Sometimes the heart of a restaurant goes beyond its food. Ambiance? Good. Service? Attentive. Value? Affordable. Food? Great. Now where is the line about corporate social responsibility? The restaurant world used to be about bringing good food to the table, but tables are turning and social change is important. It is becoming part of the dining experience and sometimes it’s even the priority. Social responsibility in the context of a restaurant is usually about offering ocean-friendly seafood, sustainable meats, and locally grown produce, but what about helping Vancouver’s DTES? It’s a bit of a stretch away from the kitchen and the traditional concerns of a diner, but important nonetheless. With gentrification a prominent issue on the DTES, many new restaurants and retailers are feeling the heat outside the kitchen. However, not every new restaurant is aiming to be restaurant of the year — sometimes they simply want to give back to the area they opened in. When I go out, food takes priority and I want it to be good, but at restaurants like these it is not always just about the food. It might make more sense to donate your time and money directly to the cause, but we all need to eat, and sometimes “helping” can be as easy as dining out. The following restaurants all have positive “hidden” agendas that go beyond their food, and they’re worthy of exposing.  - Read the full article. Read my full “Restaurants with Heart” article for restaurants contributing to DTES. See more Follow Me Foodie stories from Mijune in the WE Vancouver: FOLLOW ME FOODIE: The “Forget-Me-Nots” of Vancouver’s restaurant scene FOLLOW ME FOODIE: Wild BC spot prawn season begins FOLLOW ME FOODIE: The best thing I ever ate…

Tap & Barrel The longing for cocktails on a sunny patio is always there, even when the weather isn’t. Do you know where you’re going to plant your backside when there’s sunshine in Vancouver? The perfect restaurant patio provides an interesting view and an irresistible menu. Good company helps; that’s your responsibility. Which new Vancouver restaurant patios have got what it takes to be the best patio in spring/summer 2013? I’ll get the list started by mentioning some of the relative newcomers to Vancouver patio season 2013. Cactus Club Coal Harbour New Vancouver Patio Restaurants 2013 Cactus Club Coal Harbour Cactus Club Coal Harbour opened doors in March 2013. Find it in Jack Poole Plaza across from the Olympic Cauldron and the Vancouver Convention Centre (1085 Canada Place). This is the largest restaurant to date from the Vancouver king of casual fine dining. The  restaurant boasts a “sea-to-sky” terrace with a retractable glass wall for open-air dining and killer panoramic views of the North Shore Mountains and Stanley Park.  Chef Feenie’s menu is full of tempting fusion dishes featuring OceanWise BC seafood. The signature cocktails–the margarita is the most popular–are the drinks to order. The Roof at Black + Blue If you’re into beef, particularly steak, the Roof (1032 Alberni Street) is your destination. Many have asserted Black + Blue does Vancouver’s best modern steakhouse menu. As for the roof, which opened in April 2013, it’s a one-of-a-kind, 120-seat restaurant within a restaurant on the third floor of Black + Blue. Because there’s a $20,000 Wood Stone Josper Charcoal Broiler Oven up there, the waitstaff don’t have to scurry up and down. Your steak arrives piping hot within minutes of ordering. Your view will consist of the posh decor and the city skyline. The socializing heats up at night when they light the cozy fireplace. Tap & Barrel This massive craft beer and BC wine joint celebrated their opening with 1,000 guests in October 2012. In May 2013, the restaurant (1 Athletes Way) is still hopping like opening day nearly every day. Situated in Olympic Village on False Creek, the two-story 14,000 sq. foot space boasts water views as well as a stunning look at downtown Vancouver and the North Shore mountains. The menu is modern pub food; it goes without saying they use local inputs and make it from scratch. But it’s the 25 rotating craft BC microbrew beers on tap, as well as 14 BC wines on tap that keep locals parked on the two patios. If you arrive and see a line, don’t be discouraged. With 300 seats, it will be your turn soon enough. The Fish Shack Glowbal Group moved from sleek to rustic with this BC seafood-focused restaurant that feels more like a Seattle harbour-front chain than a (1026) Granville Street destination. Whether or not you like the faux fisherman decor, there’s no denying the freshness or the quality of the seafood menu (oyster bar, gluten-free fish and chips, the simple and generous Fisherman’s Catch – crab, mussels, prawns, calamari, crayfish, potatoes, corn, chorizo cooked in a net.) The 15-seat patio offers a peek at people strolling on bustling Granville. Pop-Up Patio at the Westin Grand The rooftop, poolside terrace of The Westin Grand (433 Robson Street) sits above the busy intersection of Homer and Robson Streets. Starting May 30, 2013, this space will be transformed into the #PopUpPatio, an urban oasis and patio lounge open Thursday and Friday evenings from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. Guests can unwind after a hard day of work in this chill atmosphere with soft seating, green gardens and a DJ. Chef Chris Savino has designed a light menu served from a BBQ action station including items like cashew chicken satays, shrimp ceviche, and chicken fatoush salad.  Refreshing and creative cocktails will be served, like the signature pop-up popsicle: a gewurztraminer, raspberry and vanilla popsicle dunked in a mix of vodka, soda, and ginger simple syrup. What’s your favourite Van

Restaurant: benu (Tasting Menu – Part 1) Cuisine: New American/Euro-Asian/Pacific Northwest Last visited: May 7, 2013 Location: San Francisco, CA (Financial District) Address: 22 Hawthorne Ln (at Howard St) Phone: (415) 685-4860 Transit: Howard St & New Montgomery St Price Range: $50+ 1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try! Food: 5 Service: 5 Ambiance: 3.5 Overall: 4.5 Additional comments: Chef/Owner Corey Lee James Beard Award winning chef 2 Michelin Stars Innovative New Asian cuisine Pacific Northwest cuisine Sophisticated/upscale Local and global ingredients Seasonal menus A la carte menu Chef Tasting Menu Cocktail/wine program 48 seats Reservations recommended Valet $15 Corkage $40/bottle (2 bottle limit) Dinner Tues-Sat 5:30pm-9pm Tasting Menu only for Friday & Saturday **Recommendations: Tasting Menu ($180/person + optional wine pairing $150) The name benu comes from the mythological Egyptian bird Bennu, or Benu, which relates to the phoenix or heron. They are considered self created birds relating to ideas of rebirth, resurrection, renewal, longevity, the rising of the sun, and also the rising of brilliance. Benu, or as I interpret be nu (new), is a place where old ideas are given new meaning. This is a bird that sings a rehearsed lyric rather than an improvised song. This is Chef Corey Lee’s benu. benu. It was a plan B which turned into a plan A very quickly. Originally I had my heart set on The French Laundry, but after talking to people who had dined at both I was highly recommended to go to benu. Comparing them would be apples and oranges, but apparently benu was more suited for my tastes, and the rave testimonials had me on my toes. Almost everyone I talked to put it on their “best meal of my life” list, and Follow Me Foodie to San Francisco Round 2 seemed incomplete without it. Sometimes it is about timing, and benu is in its prime but it hasn’t yet peaked. This fine dining restaurant is still considered a baby, but it is already training for the Olympics. Chef and owner Lee opened benu in 2010, and although the style is very different from the traditional French Laundry, it pays homage to one of the founding godfather’s of French fine dining. Chef Lee worked under Chef Thomas Keller at The French Laundry for 8 years and was chef de cuisine for the latter half. Being classically trained in French cooking, his 2 Michelin Star restaurant benu is an eclectic and creative mix of Asian inspired Californian cuisine. It is expertly executed with French, Asian and New American techniques. Talking with Chef de Cuisine Brandon Rodgers, as James Beard Award winning Chef Lee was attending the James Beard Awards in New York. Chef Lee is born in Korea and raised in the US, and he brings a strong sense of identity and respect for his culture to his menu. Having a natural palate and understanding of Asian ingredients and flavours helped the menu translate with ease. Even though the concepts and components were at times simple, the courses were intelligently put together. Being Canadian born Chinese I experienced the menu very differently. I was expecting it to be more Korean influenced, but after watching Lee’s interview here, I understood why everything seemed Chinese influenced. He admires Chinese food. There is a lot of overlap in Asian cuisines, but each one is very different and unique. Many Asian cuisines draw from Chinese cuisine, but Chinese cuisine itself is very broad and covers various regional and diverse styles of cooking in China. “Asian fusion” is one of the most undesirable way I would want to describe the menu, just because the word has been so misused. It carries negative associations with failed attempts of “con-fusing” Asian and North American cuisines. It is a food trend from the 90′s, and although not all of it was awful, most if it belongs in the 90′s. The menu at benu is not “fusion”, but ca

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.

Follow Me Foodie to Surrey Restaurant Week! The 1st Annual Surrey Restaurant Week May 24 – June 2! Enter to win $100! Bet you didn’t see that one coming! I didn’t, but I’m happy to. I flip flop with these “Dine Out” events because often I find they don’t represent the restaurant on a regular night, but I do like the fact that it gives people incentive to support the restaurant industry. I have a soft spot for restaurants in the suburbs because they get overlooked. I’ve found some hidden gems and excellent restaurants and some of my favourite places for Japanese, Indian and Latin food is in fact in the suburbs. Downtown Vancouver has excellent eats, but the ethnic eateries in the suburbs are fantastic to explore. Surrey Restaurant Week is May 24 to June 2 (10 days) and is presented by BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association (BCRFA) and Tourism Surrey. Restaurants are offering 3 course set menus at $20, $30 and $40. Over 40 restaurants in the Guildford, Whalley & Surrey City Centre, Fleetwood, Newton, South Surrey, and Cloverdale neighbourhoods will be participating and the dining options are diverse. I took a look at the participating restaurants and I was ecstatic to see Tokachi (amazing gomaae and sashimi), Taste of Punjab, and McJac’s Roadhouse Grille (get a sourdough loaf to go) participating. Those are some local favs in Surrey, and I hope this gives you incentive to make the trip out and visit them. If you’re already in the neighbourhood, than I’m jealous. Those restaurants can rival restaurants in Metro Vancouver. I’m also really curious about Pachamami Sabor Latino and Morgans Restaurant & Wine Bar as well as a couple others. See  the full list of participating restaurants and menus here. Follow Me Foodie’s Surrey Restaurant Week Contest! I’m giving away a $100 worth of gift certificates to a restaurant of your choice participating in Surrey Restaurant Week. Please see here for participating restaurants and their menus. The gift certificate does not have to be used during Surrey Restaurant Week. How to enter: 1) Comment on this post with which restaurant you would like to try in Surrey Restaurant Week. or 2) Tweet: Follow & RT to enter! I entered to win $100 to dine out during Surrey Restaurant Week from @followmefoodie –> http://bit.ly/14IF55N CONTEST CLOSES FRIDAY May 23 AT 11:59PM. Terms & Conditions: 1. Contest open to Canadian residents. 2. FollowMeFoodie.com and BCRFA retain the right to approve entries. 3. Prize not negotiable, cannot be exchanged or taken as cash. 4. Allow 15 days for prize delivery. 5. If winner does not respond within 30 days of the closing date of the contest another winner will be selected.

Come inside and check out some photos from the latest events Urban Diner has attended over the last few weeks… Le Gavroche serves up a tingling Stinging Nettle Amuse Bouche to start off the showcase of their new menu Le Gavroche GM & Partner David Auer preparing Sea Urchin Coffee Siphon Fresh Sea Urchin – unique and very tasty from the ocean coffee pot GM & Partner David Auer preparing The Salmon Jar with staff at the LE GAVROCHE FRANÇAIS MODERNE GM & Partner David Auer serves up a smoking Nitrogen Sorbet & Herbs at LE GAVROCHE FRANÇAIS MODERNE An impressive collection of wine in the viewing cellar at LE GAVROCHE FRANÇAIS MODERNE Venison and Hay served in a cloud of smoke at LE GAVROCHE FRANÇAIS MODERNE New 2012 vintage wines are featured in a tutored tasting at the BC VQA Vintage 2012 Preview at at Hawksworth Restaurant Vintage 2012 table – Nathan Goltz, Sandhill Vineyards,  Rob Van Westen, Van Westen Vineyards, Michael Bartier, Okanagan Crush Pad, Theo Siemens, Okanagan Crush Pad, Warwick Shaw, Tantalus Vineyards, Anthony Gismondi, host from the Vancouver Sun Journalist John Schreiner and Tantalus Vineyards Viticulturist Warwick Shaw at Vintage 2012 Wines from Vintage 2012 event – Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Gewurztraminer, Tantalus Vineyards Old Vines Riesling, Sandhill Sauvignon Blanc, Van Westen V Vintage 2012 participants – Warwick Shaw, Tantalus Vineyards, Rob Van Westen, Van Westen Vineyards, Andrew Moon, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, Nathan Goltz, Sandhill, Michael Bartier, Okanagan Crush Pad, Howard Soon, Sandhill, Theo Siemens, Okanagan Crush Pad, Anthony Gismondi, host from the Vancouver Sun Vintage BC 2012 celebration with Warwick Shaw, Tantalus Vineyards, Andrew Moon, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, and Nathan Goltz, Sandhill

FOLLOW ME FOODIE: The best thing I ever ate… By Mijune Pak , Follow Me Foodie – WE Vancouver Published: May 17, 2013 10:00 AM Updated: May 17, 2013 10:37 AM I am constantly asked “What’s the best restaurant in Vancouver?”, “What’s the best thing you’ve ever eaten?” and to be honest, I don’t know. How could I? I haven’t tried everything in the world yet. If I tried every single restaurant in Vancouver, maybe I could answer the first question, but even so it would be based on my favourite and not “the best”. Take, for instance, pizza. People are always looking for the best place for pizza and my answer is always “depends”. Do you want Neapolitan style? New York style? Chicago style? Crispy crust? Foldable crust? There are so many variations of pizza; how can I possibly recommend one? And even if I recommended my “best” pizza place, it would be very debatable since it is all based on preference. Taste is not only highly subjective, but purely personal. I am guilty of asking “where’s the best” questions too, particularly to things not relating to food. I always try and put it into context relative to time, place and other things I have tried, but still the question is not the ‘best’ to ask. Whether “best of” lists are used to increase SEO or quickly get the attention of the majority, the word has little substance without context and information to back it up. The once powerful word has little meaning when it is used without passion, integrity and conviction. If you really mean it, then by all means use it — sparingly. - Read the full article Read my full “best of” article for recommendations for unique items which have little to be compared to. See more Follow Me Foodie stories from Mijune in the WE Vancouver: FOLLOW ME FOODIE: The “Forget-Me-Nots” of Vancouver’s restaurant scene FOLLOW ME FOODIE: Wild BC spot prawn season begins

Restaurant: Aziza Cuisine: Moroccan/New American/Mediterranean Last visited: May 6, 2013 Location: San Francisco, CA (Outer Richmond) Address: 5800 Geary Blvd Phone: (415) 752-2222 Transit: Geary Blvd & 22nd Ave Price Range: $30-50+ ($25-35 mains) 1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try! Food: 4.5 (based on what I tried) Service: n/a Ambiance: 3 Overall: 4.5 Additional comments: Chef/Owner Mourad Lahlou Innovative New Moroccan cuisine 1 Michelin Star Critically acclaimed Local and global ingredients Seasonal menus Chef Tasting Menus Cocktail/wine program Reservations recommended Wed-Mon 5:30–10:30 pm Closed Tuesday **Recommendations: The 13 course Chef’s Tasting Menu ($95/person) was more impressive than the a la carte, although the a la carte was still very good. The cocktails and dessert menu should not be missed. If you’re ordering a la carte try the Lentil Soup, Sardines, and Duck Confit Basteeya. The desserts change often and according to season, but on the current menu I recommend the Almond-Honey Semifreddo. No, this couldn’t be it. Just let me double check the address. I’m sure it’s called Aziza, or was it Laziza? No, Laziza is the one in Vancouver, I was looking for Aziza in San Francisco. It’s a 1 Michelin Star upscale restaurant featuring new Moroccan cuisine, and it was unexpected to find it on this street corner. The sign didn’t really shout “upscale” and from the outside it looked a bit shady, but I knew what I was getting myself in to. I knew well in advance too, as to why I even made reservations a week early. It is not a restaurant you just happen to walk by, it is restaurant you make plans to visit. The Richmond District is populated with Chinese and Russian immigrants and mom and pop type ethnic eateries (mostly Asian) which dominate the area. Aziza is located in Outer Richmond which is the up and coming part of the Richmond District, as opposed to the inner part which is already full of restaurants. It opened in 2001 and the love for it has only grown stronger. It won reviews from local media early on and has been on the James Beard Award radar most recently. It received James Beard Award nominations for Aziza, Mourad, and his Pastry Chef Melissa Chou, and the restaurant and team is still on the rise. It is not easy to stay in the spotlight after opening for over 10 years (especially for modern restaurants like this), but Aziza must be doing something right or the hype would have died a long time ago. It still remains a neighbourhood gem and attracts locals and traveling food enthusiasts alike. Follow Me Foodie to San Francisco started at Aziza and I was off to a good start. The restaurant was more pleasant once inside and it was a lot bigger than expected. There are 3 separate rooms, each uniquely themed, but still Moroccan inspired. It had the white tablecloths and the service was formal, but the room was trendy and not as committed to traditional fine dining quality. It was stylish and sophisticated, but not ritzy or rich. Before I dwell into the food, I have to state my biases. I actually met Mourad last year at West Restaurant when he was invited as a guest chef. He prepared a New Moroccan Menu and I wrote about the experience here. It can be tricky writing about food when you become friends with the chef, but there is a mutual understanding and respect. Regardless it is not the first time I’ve done it, and if you’re familiar with this blog then you already trust it or you don’t. I can’t say I’ve had much experience with Moroccan cuisine let alone “New Moroccan” cuisine. I refuse to put it under the umbrella categories of Middle Eastern or African food just because it isn’t specific enough. I find it deserving of its own category. Nonetheless I don’t have many point of references for how Mourad’s dishes came to be, but based on reading his book and trying his food

Last weekend, we grilled up some beef short ribs, Korean galbi style.  On the side, we also grilled some sugar snap peas, okra, and mushrooms.  A peanut sauce accompanied the snap peas, while I tossed the mushrooms and okra in two chili dressings. The juicy juicy meat was served with steamed rice, a quick cucumber pickle, kimichi, and lettuces for wrapping.  Needless to say, everything was polished off by our hungry friends. Homemade Korean galbi short ribs with sugar snap peas, mushrooms, and okra To kick everyone’s appetite off, I whipped this simple chilled tofu appetizer up.  It was inspired by an amazing meal at a Tofu restaurant in Tokyo.  It’s creamy, savory, with just a touch of acidity. It’s so utterly easy to make, especially if you’re serving a crowd. It just so happens to be vegan too… Simple chilled miso tofu appetizer – perfect for hot summer nights Chilled Japanese Miso Tofu Appetizer Ingredients1 package soft or silky tofu3 tablespoons miso paste2 tablespoons rice vinegar2 tablespoons mirin1 teaspoon brown sugar1 tablespoon sesame seedsDirectionsDrain the tofu and cut into cubes. The size is up to you. Place on chilled plates. Whisk the miso paste, vinegar, mirin, and brown sugar together until smooth. Slather the tofu cubes with the dressing. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Serve chilled.