We went with an empty stomach given we’d been told to save room for the adjoining food tour. Good thing we did, because we were beyond satisfied by the assortment of offerings.
Invited media assembled for a wine and cocktail-fuelled reception first, followed by an introduction to the Tourism Vancouver team, who’ve worked tirelessly to organize one of the largest food fests in Canada. Shortly thereafter we were divided into smaller groups and led off on our various themed tasting tours (ours focused on ‘Dining Out with Friends’). The best part was we didn’t know where we’d end up!
First stop led us to Tap & Barrel’s Olympic Village location. We arrived and were guided up to their private room that overlooks False Creek and the cityscape. Custom-blended BC wine free-flowed, as did a delicious assortment of food from their Dine Out menu. Comfort foods such as meatloaf, seafood spaghetti and S’mores were expertly paired with craft beer and wine pairings.
Next stop was a bit of a secret (meaning we can’t share too many details). Let’s just say it was a pop-up venue created especially for this year’s Dine Out and featured a decidedly nautical theme centered around ‘Dining By The Sea’. Share plates were passed around and we were given a debriefing on the history of fishing in and around Vancouver.
Post tour and tasting at the waterfront locale, we headed back into town for our final culinary stop, Hawksworth Restaurant, where a sampling of goods from their special ‘Side Dishes’ series awaited. We were treated to tastes of Carpaccio, short rib, lamb and other delectable bites while sipping custom-blended BC wines. Be sure to check out the various tasting options on their website here – and get ready to indulge accordingly.
Learn more about Dine Out Vancouver 2014 here.
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Photos courtesy Patrick Boyer/UrbanCowboy.net
