Roadtrip Final Chapter: Oliver to Penticton, B.C. -- #NWRoadtrip

The road to Penticton and #WBC13 was paved with great times and fine wines. Take a look below at the entire journey from Portland to Penticton -- 7 days, 11 hours, and 42 minutes condensed into one crazy food, fun, and wine infused video!

While we were in Richmond we checked out some of the local wineries that were very close to downtown, including Lulu Island and Sanduz. I’ll be writing about it in separate post, so won’t give details here, but it was my first tasting of fruit wines and it was an eye opener. But even more of an eye opener was when Mattie entertained the tasting room at Sanduz with his soft stylings on the guitar. I almost fell off my chair! {Check out video slideshow above around the 0:56 second mark.}

Our last segment of the trip took us along scenic Highway 3 to Oliver. Along the way we had an epic picnic and even scared away a few startled travelers as we were a sight to behold. More wild than the wildlife.

Mattie AKA Pillsbury Dutch Boy

All that fresh air can make you very hungry. 

We ate our lunch with a magnificent mountain backdrop and then drove on to Oliver, where we stayed the night. 

Tinhorn Creek Winery

The first time I visited the Okanagan region I was very impressed with the Cab Franc I tried there. One of my favorites was from Tinhorn Creek Winery and I was excited to share my findings with Mattie and Miss Kristen. Well, the truth is, I have not been able to shut up about the Tinhorn Creek Cab Franc for over a year now, so it was time for me to step aside and let the wine do the talking. We began our visit with a glass of the Gewurztraminer that was chilled and waiting for us in the guest house.

Ahh... the pause that refreshes.

We would have been happy to sit right there contemplating the view for the rest of the evening, but dinner at Miradoro was waiting just a few steps away, along with Mattie and Kristen's first taste of the fabled Oldfield Cab Franc.

The views at Tinhorn Creek (see them in video at top of post) are best enjoyed from Miradoro where we dined with the Tinhorn Creek gang: Andrew, Lindsay, and Sandra.

The evening was a winning combination of interesting personalities, fine wine and big views. Or maybe it was fine personalities, interesting views, and big wines--it all works out any way you stack it. It’s great when you can hang out with people and find things to talk about that have nothing to do with their profession or business. We all seemed to have a common bond and affection for film, travel, and great food. Well, no surprise about shared interest in food, but Sandra, Lindsey, and Andrew are all interesting in ways well beyond the world of wine.

Upper Bench Winery and Creamery

Gavin and Shana Miller

The next day prior to the start of WBC13 in Penticton we stopped in at Upper Bench Winery and Creamy to meet with Gavin and Shana Miller and sample their cheese and wine. The Upper Bench wines have true finesse and naturally the house made cheese make for delicious pairings. Shana is the engine behind the on-site micro creamery and Gavin is the man of the vines. What a powerhouse team they make, and the products of their labor are exceptional examples of what one can create when passion meets know-how.

Upper Bench Cheeses (L to R) King Cole, Gold, U & Brie

I thought the King Cole, a semi soft blue cheese was the ideal with Merlot. I’d tried the Gold, a handmade semi-soft cheese, on a previous visit to the Okanagan Valley and it was as good as I remembered it. The U & Brie was also a delight, rich and creamy with a fresh tang, that was firm and not over ripe. I liked it with the Rose as well as the Riesling. Give yourself plenty of time to stop at Upper Bench when you are in Penticton.  It’s just the kind of place where you could settle in for a while, a long while.

End of an Era

It was a memorable road trip, but sadly, my crazy glasses were lost somewhere after our visit to Upper Bench. So off to the universe they go. It’s especially sad as I had the round ones for 18 years!! Those glasses have been all over the world with me. They were even featured on the cover of my book. But sometimes you just have to let go and move on. I’m looking for something new to use in future trips, but if you happen to see anyone in Penticton wearing some crazy glasses, you know where they came from!

Note: Overnight accommodations in Oliver were graciously provided by Tinhorn Creek. 

Spot Prawns at Blue Canoe in Steveston Village -- #NWRoadtrip Part 2

The many views at Blue Canoe in Steveston, B.C.

I love the random synchronicity quality of twitter-- Earlier in the day I’d seen a series of tweets from Lindsay Anderson about her early morning adventure fishing for spot prawns in a secret location. Little did I know we would be eating those very prawns that same evening at Blue Canoe in Steveston Village.

{You can read Lindsay's account of the spot prawn voyage with Chef Danilo Ibarra on board to assist in the catch here.}

While Steveston Village is only 15 minutes away by car from downtown Richmond, it’s a world away in terms of culture. Originally established in the 1800’s, Steveston, located at the mouth of the Fraser River and the Pacific, became one of the largest fishing and cannery facilities in the British Commonwealth. Today the area is still the place to find the best catch of the day, but shopping, dining, and whale-watching are the economic mainstays in the waterfront village.

In my last post I wrote about our dining experience in Richmond at Vivacity. And while our host was very friendly and cordial, we were indeed the strangers in a strange land that evening. But the minute we walked into Blue Canoe, it was like stepping into a family reunion-- welcoming, relaxed, and fun.

Set on a pier above the Fraser River, Blue Canoe offers great views from the dockside tables and they even provide blankets draped over the chairs in case you get a chill.  We didn't need the blankets, the glass panels on the deck kept the wind at bay, but it was a nice touch. 

As I mentioned at the top of the post, the spot prawns were on our minds and our host and server Bonnie suggested we start out with them. It was... dare I say it...a spot on suggestion.

Spot Prawns all start out life as males and then become Liberace...well not really, but they sure have the star quality one might associate with Liberace. In the prawn world they reign supreme and are only available during a short six week season. They looked to me like mini lobsters and they had a very sweet and rich flavor that was enhanced by a mixed melon slaw and grilled lemon.

Sable fish with orange-ginger-miso glaze

For entrees we each tried one of the fresh fish offerings of the day--Halibut, Trout and Sablefish. I chose the Sablefish, which is also known as black cod.  It was so perfectly cooked the flesh flaked right off like petals from a rose, and its rich flavor, was as Barbra Streisand might say..."like buttha”. The ginger-orange-miso glaze was an ideal support and accent to the dish. I was tempted to run off with my plate and hide so I did not have to share with my table mates. But their dishes were equally delectable. Honestly, I didn’t even take notes about their plates as I was so entranced by my own, but Mattie covers it well here.

I loved the wine Bonnie recommend, a Pentage Pinot Gris from the Okanagan Valley. It had a delicate peach fuzz hue with lychee and citrus flavors, and great minerality that paired well with the entrees we ordered. The wine seemed expensive, but apparently the taxes on alcohol are very high in Canada.  

For dessert, Chef Ibarra drew upon his Nicaraguan heritage and presented a tres leches cake that had all my favotite elements--chocolate, coconut, whipped cream, and caramel--with a plump gooseberry on top. I have no picture to show because my fork won out over my camera in a contest of willpower. 

Bonnie, Chef Ibarra and Kristen aka #PowerStrip

I felt very at home with everyone at Blue Canoe and I started to brainstorm ideas. Yes friends, while most people have a few drinks and relax, I get all markety in my head and conjure up new business ventures. Ask anyone who has traveled with me, and they will testify-- as the hour draws late, or if I am lulled into in a place of contentment from fabulous food and wine-- I start riffing marketing ideas like a monkey on crack.

Chef Ibarra was great fun and a good sport for agreeing to pose in our signature road trip glasses. He was so laid back and charming, I was thinking he would make a terrific TV personality and should have his own cooking show. Blue Canoe could dock a nice tricked out house boat next to the restaurant where guests could hang out and kick back as he prepared a fresh catch of the day for the cameras and audience at home. I think the show should be called Houseboat Chef!  Remember, you heard it here first.

The NWRoadtrip Travel posse with Chef Ibarra in the center

Have no idea who these people are. 

The beauty of visiting Richmond or Vancouver, B.C is the East meets West aspect. If you are hankering for the flavors of the far east you can find it in Richmond. When you desire some excellent seafood in a casual setting, head west to Steveston Village. And remember, if you do go to Blue Canoe, keep an eye peeled for a houseboat docked nearby. Tell Danilo I say hello.

** DISCLOSURE: See here for previous sponsorship verbiage on this trip, but I’d like to add to the disclosure that while our meal at Blue Canoe was sponsored by Richmond Tourism, the camaraderie and rapport we established with Chef Danilo Ibarra, and our server Bonnie, was completely spontaneous and generated entirely on our own. **


Resources:
Blue Canoe
3866 Bayview Street #140
www.bluecanoerestuarant.com

Follow Chef Danilo Ibarra on Twitter
@DaniloIbarra

Finding Foodie Heaven in Richmond, B.C -- Part 1 #NWRoadtrip

The #NWRoadTrip Posse --RAAWWRR!

Here is the first installment on my road trip to WBC13 in Penticton that I embarked on with fellow travel writers and wine bloggers, Kristen Kearns and Mattie Bamman shown above.

Upon arrival we answered a few questions from the border patrol about the nature of our trip:
“What brings you to Canada?”
"We're wine bloggers!"
"What's that?"
"Um, you know we write, on blogs."
"That's a job?"
"Well actually, we are also travel journalists on assignment. Our first stop is in Richmond."
"Okay, that’s good. Welcome to Canada. Drive on.”
( And no, we were not wearing our #NWroadtrip glasses at the time, we are not complete fools.)

***

My first impression of Richmond was it appeared very clean and compact and everyone drove a BMW or Mercedes. I really did not know what to expect aside from the fact it’s one of the largest Chinatowns in North America and it’s population is 65% Asian. But, I'm a big fan of Lindsay Anderson and her blog, 365 Days of Dining, about the Richmond food scene so I knew there were culinary delights in Richmond to be discovered. Ironically we arrived just two days before her amazing year of blogging came to a close.

We checked into the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel which is well located in the Golden Village city center. Great parks and public transport are all within a few minutes walking distance, so it’s a good place to base your visit and explore by foot.

Our concierge at the Sheraton was helpful with directions, but we still got lost walking to Vivacity Restaurant, and ended up in an alley between an auto parts store, a martial arts studio and the back entrance of a big crazy discount store, called Big Crazy Discount Store of course.

But getting lost is part of the charm of discovering any new area. Incidentally, I must say I felt 100% safe walking around, perhaps there are some dodgy areas of Richmond, but I never came across them.

When we found Viviacity, tucked into one of the countless strip malls of the area, I was relieved to see the Richmond 365 sticker on the door that designated the restaurant as one Lindsay had given high marks. Frankly, I don’t eat Chinese food very often. Pretty much never. I was slightly worried as I am highly sensitive to MSG. So, yes, I wanted to have an authentic dining experience, but not at the cost of an authentic migraine. We ordered the King Crab as it was in season and came highly recommend. Prior to our order being placed, the Crab was brought out to meet us. It was enourmous.

Right before our host carted Mr. King Crab away I eked out--“Um, No MSG? Okay?” and he looked a bit surprised and then replied "Okay, we prepare without.” I later found out they don't generally use MSG anyway, so that may be why he looked surprised by my request.

I felt kind of bad about seeing the crab alive and thinking it was begging us not to eat it, but you know, once it arrived and I tasted it’s tender flesh, I forgot all about it staring at me.

The crab was prepared three ways. Steamed, with garlic and scallions. The scent was heavenly.

Curried, with rice served in the crab shell that appeared to be the size of a football helmet.

And deep fried, with salt and pepper and thinly sliced jalapeno.

All crab photos courtesy of Mattie Bamman

I loved the salt and pepper style. It was crisp and crunchy on the outside, with succulent hunks of rich and flaky-white meat on the inside. It was so perfectly flash fried without a trace of oil or grease whatsoever and delicately seasoned. The fried slices of garlic snapped like tiny potato chips. I rated it Two Yums Up.

I noticed that everyone else in the restaurant had boxes stacked on their table and it was obvious that part of the dining experience was the sizable take home portion of the meal. Our host’s face dropped when we declined to have him wrap up the remains and then we realized we had refrigerators back in our rooms, so we asked to take it with us it and it made him so happy. Plus, I figured, if we got lost walking back, at least we would have food.

That said, we were about the only people on foot in the area, but it allowed us to discover places like this--Super Bored -- which despite our expressions, we were not bored to be there in the least.

Photo credit: Mattie Bamman

It was super weird in parts of Richmond, yes, but I guarantee you, if you visit, you will not be Super Bored. Quite the contrary. It’s like landing on another planet. A planet where all the good stuff to eat is hidden in plain-sight. So wander about, poke around, follow your nose, do NOT judge a restaurant by it’s location, and you will have a great time in this curiously delicious place called Richmond, B.C.

My recommendation to foodies visiting Richmond is consult the Richmond 365 Blog website to determine what style of food you are seeking and follow Lindsay’s suggestions.

Note: You can find Matties perspective on the same meal here.

NEXT UP: Spot Prawns at Blue Canoe with Chef Ibarra in Steveston Village, Richmond,B.C.

Resources:
Richmond 365 Days of Dining
http://www.365daysofdining.com/

Lodging:
Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel
7551 Wsestminster Highway
Richmond, B.C.
www.sheratonvancouverairport.com

Dining:
Vivacity
8351 Alexandra Road
Richmond, B.C.
www.vivacityresturant.com

DISCLOSURE: I sought assistance from Richmond Tourism with some details of the trip described above including lodging and two meals at dining establishments that I specifically requested. I rode in a car owned by Kristen Kearns and paid for one tank of gas with my own money because that’s what you do on a road trip-- you share expenses with your travel companions. I drove approximately one-third of the way from Richmond, B.C. to Oliver, B.C. and was glad to do so because frankly, Mattie Bamman drives way the hell too fast, and like most men would rather drive in circles forever than ask for directions. {Just kidding Mattie, ya know I love you.} All opinions, reviews, and remarks--favorable or otherwise, are my own and the content above has not been vetted or approved by any tourism entity or other person that might in some way benefit from my account of the events. Okay? Okay!