Getting A Head
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A couple weeks ago, I was awoken to an apparition of a talking pig’s head. Not taking much note of it, I washed the thought out of my mind and buried my face, ears deep, back into my pillow. A few days later, a conversation of pork and butchery presented itself in front of me. We spoke of farms, and the use of animals for food, and the by-products left behind after butchery. I left the conversation very ponderous, and found myself reflecting back to my sleepy vision. What did it mean? Read More→
Pourhouse Gets Involved
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This morning signifies a benchmark in my life as a chef, and is a day to remember in Pourhouse’s tenure for advocating sustainability. Upon completion of the Ocean Wise™ assessment and review, we got the thumbs up for partnership with Vancouver Aquarium’s Conservation Program. Read More→
So You Want a Revolution?
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For as long as I can remember, part of the joy of traveling through the Pacific Northwest was getting to sample the seemingly endless selection of great craft beers. And every time i returned home i would curse the local draught… why can’t we have craft beers like they do?
Well those days of cursing are over. In the last few years BC’s craft beer scene has exploded, with the quality of our ales rivaling anything south of the border. Though you wouldn’t know it, unless of course you walked into the Alibi Room and stared dumbstruck at the 30+ tap selection of predominantly BC beers. Do they really make beer in Chilliwack? Wow, they make really GOOD beer in Chilliwack!
Hold that thought… let’s get back to the Pourhouse for a moment. Read More→
Olympic Aftermath Equals Springtime in Vancouver
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It’s now the end of March. The Olympic torch has well been extinguished, the mob-ish madness has come and gone, and the extreme display of pride to be Canadian we all made quite evident has slowly begun to wash away. For some, including everyone here at Pourhouse, the experience was one of a kind, and indeed a once in a lifetime opportunity. Getting to witness the torch run by the restaurant, the very same day as opening ceremonies, was an extravagant treat. Hoards of proud Canadians and awestruck devotees packed Water Street, from store front to store front like little sardines; following the torch as it marched its way to its new home, not so unlike the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Read More→
At Your Service – The Bartenders of Pourhouse
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Your facilitators
I have spent the last decade of my life on one side of the Bar or the other. Being a Bartender is something you have to live to be good at. I’d go so far as to say that Bartending is a direct extension of pure and deep affection for drinking. Consumption has been known to lead to intoxication on occasion, but I guess that’s where we seperate the drinkers from the drunks. A big part of the enjoyment and satisfaction of a cocktail experience is the ritual that a Bartender pursues: the engaging discussion of recipes and ingredients, the careful portioning and inspection at every stage of construction are all part of an exacting routine unique to each Barkeep.
More Than Just A Cut Plug
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As winter and the Christmas season in upon is, the abundant miscellany of fresh and local ingredients we had grown fond of during the summer and autumn months stops filing our refrigerator shelves with colour and flavour. The gangrenous cut off of variety can prove to be uninspiring sometimes, limiting our produce selections drastically. Don’t get me wrong, there is certainly a wide array of local winter delectables to be procured, but unless you have infinite and unlimited budgets, at times it is not always feasible for us. Keeping menu costs down is very important to me, and putting bums in seats even more so.
Boker’s Bitters
By · CommentsWell…. 6 months ago I had the brilliant scheme that I would produce Boker’s bitters (or a reasonable facsimile) for the opening of Pourhouse. Boker’s bitters were apparently the most commonly used cocktails bitters in North America before Angostura bitters took over. Now my reasoning for trying to recreate Boker’s was Pourhouse’s theme “turn of the century” or “golden age of cocktails”. This era was influenced by The 1887’s Jerry Thomas’s bar tending manual “how to mix drinks”. ? This book contains many recipes, but the most interesting are cocktails that still exist today such as the Manhattan and the Martinez. The “original” Manhattan uses Boker’s bitters so….. I was determined to re-create these classics in there original form. This project turned out to be more difficult than originally anticipated. After months of collecting the exotic ingredients and experimenting with different methods I have achieved a good re-creation of Boker’s bitters and awakened a new passion….Bitter’s fever is upon me. I am now obsessed with new flavor combinations and ideas from hibiscus, ginger and lime to Okanagan cherry and vanilla…. uh oh….here we go!
All That Glitters IS Gold
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I never even dreamt a day would come when I would be asked: “Can you please cover your kitchen, the gold is going to get all over everything!?”
Driven to Drink
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Clever...but still busted
It’s been a while since I’ve taken the oppourtunity to write, as our progress towards opening Pourhouse has been satisfying and all-consuming. Sometimes in life, inspiration just strikes you, and I was struck this morning. Saturday, September 5th was the 7th Annual Steamworks Concours d’Elegance – a smorgasbord of neatly and lovingly displayed art-on-wheels. You don’t have to be a car enthusiast to be affected by a display like the one that lined the rain-glazed cobblestones of Water Street. My morning walk through Gastown was painted with a rainbow of showy and virile muscle-cars, quirky roadsters, charmingly miniature brits, and massive sedans. Read More→
Better Than Christmas!
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Today I woke up extra early, the sun in my eyes and a smile on my face! The morning was ramping up to be a great day; my new ranges were scheduled to be delivered.
