knifewear garage sale on now!
There are a few days left to shop the madness of the Knifewear Holiday Garage Sale. Madness in the best possible sense—great deals on one-of-a-kinds, gifts, new knife lines, even Japanese cookware. See it all online, or at the shop (10816 82 Whyte Avenue). Ends Sunday November 10.
zocalo rises
We are thrilled that one of our fave shops has reopened after a devasting fire, Zocalo (10826 95 Street). It’s their 21st birthday too! Along with the great gifts and garden pleasures we have come to expect from Zocalo, there will be two new things. Love and Fantasy Flowers, a local flower farm and design team now have a shop within Zocalo. And look for Aspen Coffee Roasters to open their second location within Zocalo soon, offering fair-trade craft coffee and munchies in the heart of Little Italy. New Zocalo hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-6pm and Sundays, 10am-4pm. Welcome back!
catena zapata dinner at rge rd
Don’t miss this exclusive dinner (only 20 diners!) with the exceptional Argentinian wine powerhouse, Cateña Zapata, 6pm, Wednesday, November 13. Nicolás Catena Zapata is one of world’s wine visionaries. His creation and development of Catena Zapata and relentless pursuit of quality created a dynasty, ably carried on by his daughter, ER doctor Laura Catena. RGE Rd’s asado-inspired dinner will be paired with Catena’s range of singular wines, including rare single vineyard bottlings, presented by their cosmopolitan export manager Marina Castillo. It will be an amazing night! Tix: $205/p all in.
chef jp creates ina mo
Chef JP Dublado debuts a new project November 21 at Epic Market, called INA MO. Chef is a past winner of Edmonton’s Kitchen Party and a bronze medallist at the 2023 Canadian Culinary Championships. He plans to explore the full gamut of modern Filipino food.
“I was nervous about doing a full Filipino menu— I worried that people wouldn’t understand or appreciate our food at first. But, working with other talented Filipino chefs (Vancouver’s Alden Ong, Ralph Cravalho and the Palliser’s Rupert Garcia) at the dinner series called INDAY Filipino Chef Exchange changed my mind, along with the organizers Joie Alvaro Kent and Celine Bacani. They reminded me that our cuisine is something to be proud of. Our food—rich in history and flavour, creative and innovative—deserves to be celebrated.” Don’t miss these dinners—30 seats only, six courses, Thursdays, November 21, 28 and December 5. Tix: 1$120/p + ($60 wine pairings).
heartbreaking news from blind enthusiasm
Biera and Blind Enthusiasm’s Market Brewery will close at the end of December. The Monolith (on 78 Avenue) will continue operations as is. “This change will allow us to put a greater focus on its unique brewing program, expanding our current operations with new offerings, including additional tour options and launching a direct-to-consumer sales business to better serve our customers,” said owner Greg Zeschuk.
“We’ve had an amazing run for the last seven and a half years. However, due to changes to market conditions, we feel the restaurant is in need of a revamp, but we’re not going to be the ones to do it. Our goal is to find a worthy successor with fresh ideas and energy that will continue to serve customers in the existing space.”
We are gutted and expect we are not the only ones. Biera will not serve lunch after Friday, November 8, but will offer weekend brunch and happy hour and dinner six nights a week until the end of the year. Thank you for the convivial atmosphere, the cheese program, the sourdough nuggets, along with all the great meals and beers. You will be missed.
new issue on stands now!
Explore gifts for wine lovers and the culinarily inclined; chef Shane Chartrand on Top Chef, and a fabulous Portuguese Feast for your holidays dinners. Pick up your copy at over 250 locations across the Capital Region (including all Italian Centre Shops, Bonjour and Bon Ton and Barbecue Country or online at thetomato.ca.
tomato top 100: monsoon’s ki dal makni
Gingery, rich and satisfying, it’s hard to beat Monsoon’s Ki Dal Makni, just the thing on a dull day.
recipe of the week: daniel costa’s celery root and pear soup
This easy and delicious soup celebrates fall flavours. B.C. pears are especially nice right now; we picked up outstanding Anjou, Bartlett and Bosc varieties at the Red Apple and Steve & Dan’s fruit stands at Bountiful Market.
